Happy Little Accidents
by Agent Fonty-Seven
Summary: Before All Might and Midoriya can leave I-Island, they are approached by Melissa Shield one last time. Before they know it, what started as a simple goodbye ends up unraveling parts of the Symbol of Peace's past that neither of the teens had expected. Warning: Contains movie spoilers, a trans male character, yaoi and mpreg. Read at your own risk.
1. Be Careful What You Wish For

All Might let out a grunt as he pushed down on the lid of his suitcase, letting out a small sigh when he heard the latches click into place. Goodness, why was it always harder to pack his things at the end of a trip than it was at the beginning? He hadn't even gotten any souvenirs while he was here on I-Island. Of course, he hadn't really had the chance to just hang out and enjoy the sights of such a marvel of technology, not with all the chaos that had erupted at the expo.

His shoulders slumped further when he thought back to the attack, his expression sinking into one of weary guilt. Dave… He'd done all of this, put so many in danger, thrown his entire career away, and for what? It was all for _him_. All Might's grip tightened around the edges of his suitcase, the tips of his bangs brushing across the metallic surface as he hung his head. This had all happened because he refused to tell Dave the true nature of his Quirk. He'd kept it from him for so long thinking he was protecting him, but now he couldn't help but wonder if he'd only made matters worse…

"H-hey, All Might?"

The old hero was pulled from his thoughts when a voice called out to him from the next room, followed by a gentle knock to his door.

"What time is the flight back home again? Shouldn't we be leaving soon?"

A soft smile broke across All Might's face at his successor's worrying.

"Takeoff's not for another few hours, Young Midoriya. We've got enough time to grab lunch beforehand if you want," he replied as he opened the door, making his way out into the main area of their shared suite. He took a quick glance around, finding that most of the amenities had remained untouched by either of them. A bit of a waste of such a large suite, but they'd insisted on having them stay there. In any case, everything seemed to be in order, and even Midoriya's suitcase was sitting ready to go by the hotel room door. Nothing left to hang around for, then.

All Might's hand had barely wrapped around the doorknob when a knock on the other side sent a jolt of surprise through him. Damn, and here he'd hoped he'd be able to make it over to the airport without having to waste stamina in his muscle form… He drew in as deep a breath as his damaged lungs could handle, puffed out his bird-like chest, and in an instant took on the hulking, muscle-bound figure he'd had back in his prime, the fabric of his plain white polo shirt straining a bit against the sudden transformation. With a wide, shining smile now gracing his lips, he pulled open the door fully expecting to greet one of the hotel's housekeepers, but instead…

"Hi, Uncle Might! I'm so glad I caught you before you left!"

All Might couldn't help but stare down in mild surprise at the bright blue eyes that gazed up at him.

"Melissa! Don't tell me you came all this way just to say goodbye!" he replied with a warm chuckle, genuinely glad to see the young woman. Honestly, he'd been debating whether or not to visit her again before they left, but he'd been unsure how composed he could keep himself during such a goodbye, especially since he didn't have Dave there to divert the two teens' attention should it prove too much for him. But, now that the decision was made for him, he was glad he'd gotten to see her once more.

"Of course! I couldn't let my favorite uncle leave without a proper goodbye! You too, Deku!" Melissa giggled out lightly, doing her best to echo the towering hero's gleaming grin, peeking around his hulking form to give a blushing Midoriya a tiny wave. Slowly, however, her smile seemed to fade into an expression of mild concern. "Actually… That's not the only reason I came to find you…"

All Might's own grin seemed to waiver slightly at the corners, but it persisted as brightly as ever. Behind that heroic façade, however, that single sentence was enough to tie the old hero up into a tangles mess of anxiety. Had her father's health taken a turn for the worse? He'd been allowed to visit Dave in the hospital the day before, and he looked stable enough then, but…

Finally, his paranoia was eased when Melissa produced a few sheets of paper from behind her back, holding it out for the hero to take. All Might accepted the papers, skimming briefly until he reached something about them being 'parental consent forms.' He immediately broke down into a startled coughing fit, and it took all his willpower to maintain his muscle form throughout.

"A-All Might! Are you okay?!" Midoriya asked even as he dashed forward to close the half-open door behind Melissa, clearly worried that his master may revert to his true form any second. All Might merely replied by waving a dismissive hand towards the boy.

"I-I'm fine…" he assured, though even as he straightened up the two young teens could clearly see him wipe a trickle of blood from his lip. He then focused down towards the girl once more, trying to regain a shred of his former composure. "Melissa… Why are you giving me these? Shouldn't Dave fill these out for you?"

Melissa's shoulders seemed to slump at his reaction.

"Honestly, I was kinda hoping you could tell me that…" she answered, looking quite a bit more dejected than she had a moment ago. "Since I'm still a minor, the principal at the academy said I needed an active guardian's approval to remain here on I-Island. Papa can't do it now that he's in police custody. I wasn't sure what I should do, but then they told me that _you_ were my legal guardian now."

"Wh-what?! But how is that possible?!" Midoriya exclaimed, his wide-eyed gaze darting back and forth between All Might and Melissa. "Could the Professor have set something like this up beforehand in case something happened to him? But, Melissa's American and you're a Japanese citizen, so how can something like that be allowed? Wouldn't custody default to her grandparents in this case?"

As the young hero proceeded onto one of his muttering rants, All Might took the opportunity to hastily go through the papers, signing his name where needed. He then held them out for Melissa to take, the handle of his suitcase already in hand as he made to walk past her to leave.

"A-anyway, it was very nice seeing you again, Melissa! We really should be going now, though! We don't want to miss our flight!"

"B-but weren't you saying earlier that we have plenty of time?"

"A-always arrive at the airport two hours before your flight, my boy! Now, come on! We _really_ need to go!"

Unfortunately, it was not Midoriya who picked up on his not-so-subtle hint that he was desperately trying to avoid a specific subject. All Might's eyes glanced back to meet Melissa's for a moment, their clear blue hue seeming to try to pierce past his barriers.

"Uncle Might… You're keeping something important from me, aren't you?"

All Might stared back at her from the shadows of his eyes, an internal debate raging like a tempest behind his deceptively calm demeanor. After a long moment he let out a heavy sigh, seeming to have come to a decision. He reached for the handle of the door once more, but this time he opened it just wide enough to slip his hand out and hang the 'do not disturb' sign on the outside. Once the door was securely closed once more, he released all the tension held up in his body, his bulging muscles withering away to almost nothing in a puff of smoke.

"Oh my God!" Melissa shrieked out in what almost sounded like horror, her hands moving to cover her mouth as she stared at All Might's true form for the first time.

"A-All Might, is this really okay?! I-I thought you said it was dangerous if—" Midoriya started almost in a panic, though his protests were halted when his mentor held up a peremptory hand.

"It's fine. Honestly, this has been a long time coming. She was bound to find out about it eventually…" he replied evenly, making his way over to one of the couches in the common area of the suite. He took a seat, beckoning the two teens to do the same across from him. They did as they were told, Melissa flopping down next to Midoriya with a look of shock still on her face.

"I-I don't understand… Y-you've always been so big and strong! How'd you get to be like _this?!_ " she stammered out, the beginnings of tears forming in the corners of her eyes at the sight of his emaciated true form. All Might sighed once more, hunching over to rest his slender forearms on his knees, his gaze fixed on the floor. He never wanted her to see him like this, but he wouldn't be able to maintain his muscle form throughout the story he had to tell her.

"I was severely injured by a villain about six years ago, and I'm afraid this was the result… But that's not what we need to talk about."

"I-it's _not?!_ " Midoriya chimed in, suddenly very confused. All Might understood the boy's confusion, and he did feel bad for essentially 'yada-yada-ing' over the devastating injury he'd received at the hands of All for One, but it was necessary in these circumstances. He was sure he'd let her in on the details later over e-mail, but for now…

"Melissa, how much do you know about your mother?"

The girl's eyebrows furrowed in clear bewilderment at the sudden shift in subject.

"M-my mother..?" she repeated hesitantly. "Not much, to be honest. She died when I was a baby, so I don't remember anything about her. The only reason I even know what she looked like is because of the pictures Papa gave me…"

All Might nodded his head lightly at that. That sounded about right. Now he just had to figure out how to tell her. Should he just dive head-first into it? Rip the bandage off quick, so to speak? He decided that was the only way to broach a subject like this, and he drew in a deep breath to steel himself for what he was about to say.

"The woman in those photos isn't dead… And she's not your mother."

The two teens, unsurprisingly, couldn't help but stare back at him in complete confusion.

"I-I don't understand… H-how can that woman not be my mother? All those pictures…"

"They were staged," All Might answered immediately. "That woman was an old friend of ours from college, and she agreed to help make those pictures to keep people from asking too many questions. To keep _you_ from asking too many questions…"

"A-All Might, what are you saying all of a sudden?!" Midoriya exclaimed, rising up to his feet. "Why would Professor Shield need to fake photos of his wife?!"

"Because he never _had_ a wife," the old hero replied, hesitating slightly before continuing. "And because… _I_ am your mother, Melissa…"

There was a long stretch of awkward silence after that, during which time All Might could practically see the two teens' brains melting down trying to put some semblance of logic to what they were being told. Finally…

" _WHAT?!_ " the both of them shouted out practically in unison.

"B-b-but how is that possible?! Y-you're not… I-I'm mean, y-you're a…" Midoriya stammered out, his hands clamped on either side of his head as though trying to keep everything he'd learned in sex-ed from leaking out of his ears. Melissa wasn't taking the news much better, her mouth hanging open slightly and her eyes staring off into the middle distance as her mind tried to sort out the logistics of such a thing. All Might couldn't help but let out a small groan of reluctance. This definitely wasn't how he'd seen today going…

"Alright, look… It's a long story – and one you're not to repeat outside this room, understand? Melissa could be put in tremendous danger if this ever got out."

The two teens nodded energetically, both settling back down in their seats and staring up that the hero with rapt attention. All Might suddenly felt an immense pressure on him. Oh jeez, he really had to tell it now, didn't he? He thought back to a time about eighteen years prior, the memories coming back to him as though it all happened yesterday. The tale he told Melissa and Midoriya was not nearly so lengthy and detailed – and _certain parts_ were omitted in their entirety – but for you, gentle reader, it went a little something like this…

* * *

"Oh God, Dave!" Toshi cried out in pleasure, his fingers tangled in Dave's wavy brown hair as he felt him kissing and nibbling at his neck, his powerful legs wrapped around his lover's waist as the smaller man continued to thrust into him. His head lolled back against the pillow, his face flushed a bright rosy hue, his body coated in a sheet of hot sweat. He couldn't stifle the little cries of euphoria that came from him with Dave's every movement inside him, his entire body trembling with ecstasy in his partner's arms.

"A-ah, Toshi!" Dave moaned against his neck, and the hero could feel his lover's thrusts staring to come harder and faster, penetrating him as deep as was possible. Toshi let out another keen of pleasure, his back arching up off the bed, his thighs clamping tightly on either side of Dave's abdomen as his climax hit him in powerful waves. His lover's peak hit soon after, the last few thrusts lingering as deep inside him as they'd go before the smaller man collapsed onto his broad chest.

The two of them lay there together, Toshi's strong arms wrapped lovingly around Dave's shoulders as they panted to catch their breath from their activities a moment ago.

"Holy shit, I'm gonna miss this…" Toshi hummed out, a hand stroking idly across Dave's back, a playful smirk appearing across his lips. "You sure I can't steal you back to Japan with me?"

Dave let out a chuckle, tucking his head under the blonde's chin and nuzzling his face against his neck.

"I really wish I could, but… You know I can't turn down the offer the university gave me."

"Yeah, I know… Doesn't mean I can't get my hopes up from time to time."

Toshi leaned over to press his lips softly against Dave's own, a hand moving up to gently caress his cheek. After they parted the kiss, Toshi let his fingers brush across his lover's cheek as he lifted himself up off of him, letting out an almost disappointed grunt when he felt Dave finally pull out of him. What he wouldn't give to stay there with him forever…

"O-oh, shit…" he heard Dave mutter under his breath. Toshi furrowed his brow at that, looking down to see what was the matter. He saw his lover still on his hands and knees, his complexion gone a bit pale as he looked down at himself. It didn't take Toshi long to see what had gone wrong, his pupils practically shrinking into pinpoints, a chill of dread washing over his entire body. Dave looked back up at him, a nervous, deeply apologetic expression on his face.

"Th-the condom broke…"


	2. Silver Linings

It had been several weeks since the incident, and as tense and awkward as those weeks had been, it didn't quite compare to the moment at hand. Dave was sitting on the couch in his living room, his leg bouncing nervously as he watched Toshi pace restlessly back and forth in front of the coffee table.

"Jeez, Toshi, you need to chill. Walking a bare patch into the carpet isn't going to make five minutes pass any faster…" he teased, even though that logic didn't stop him from glancing at his watch every five seconds.

"Yeah, well… Forgive me if I have exactly zero chill right now…" Toshi grumbled in reply, his arms folded tightly across his chest as he anxiously paced back and forth, his fingers drumming against his bicep. Dave let out a sigh, a small exasperated smile forming on his lips.

"You know, it's probably not going to result in anything. Didn't you transition back in high school? Surely taking testosterone for so many years would make it almost impossible for you to get pregnant…"

At that, Toshi slowed his pacing until he finally came to a stop, setting his hands on his hips as he mulled it over in his head. Finally, he looked back at Dave, flashing him as close to his usual grin as he could manage under the current circumstances.

"I guess you're right. No sense in getting all worked up before we know for sure!" he replied, though it was quite clear that he was struggling to hide his nerves behind his smile. Dave tried to give him a reassuring smile of his own, but he feared that he, too, was unable to hide his nervousness.

Finally, after another agonizing minute, Toshi snatched up the pregnancy test that had been resting on the surface of the coffee table, circling around to sit next to Dave on the couch. He held the little piece of plastic between his hands as though praying for a favorable outcome, softly chanting "Big bucks, no whammies!" under his breath before finally opening his hands and taking a look.

"So..?" Dave asked leadingly after yet another solid minute of silence, his heart pounding in his chest from the anticipation. Toshi just sat there, staring at it, his face utterly unreadable. Then, the test seemed to slip from his grasp, clattering to the ground. The hero slumped so far down where he sat that his shoulders nearly touched the seat cushions of the couch, his hands running down his face. Dave's heart sank in his chest. That wasn't a great sign…

"It's positive, isn't it?" he asked reluctantly, not sure that he wanted to know the answer. Toshi merely nodded his head in the affirmative, his face still hidden behind his broad hands. Dave let himself fall back against the couch, staring at the ceiling as he wracked his brain wondering what they should do about the predicament they'd gotten themselves into.

Toshi, meanwhile, was having a nice quiet little freak out behind those hands of his. It wasn't that he didn't want to have a kid – though, granted, he'd never _planned_ to have one either – it was the absolute soul-chilling fear he felt when he thought of the farther-reaching consequences of such a thing. If he were literally anyone else, he'd be jumping for joy right now, but the fact of the matter was that he _wasn't_ just anyone. He was the eighth wielder of One For All, and such a legacy carried with it some serious baggage.

He remembered when his master had finally told him what All For One had done to get at her. He'd killed her husband in cold blood, and she'd been forced to give up her son to keep him out of that bastard's twisted grasp. Toshi's blood felt like it turned to ice when he dared to imagine what such a villain would do to Dave if he ever found out, or even to their kid… No, he wasn't going to let that happen! He couldn't even bear the thought of it! But… What was he supposed to do about it now?

 _'The people in this world who can smile are always the strongest!'_

Dave couldn't help but jump a bit in surprise when Toshi suddenly sat bolt upright after having been lying there prone for so long. His confusion only seemed to deepen when the hero turned to look at him, a genuine, shining grin spreading across his face for the first time in almost a month.

"Alright, let's do it!" Toshi exclaimed seemingly out of nowhere, staring at Dave with those bright, enthusiastic blue eyes of his.

"D… Do what..?" Dave asked after a moment of absolute confusion, genuinely feeling as though he'd somehow missed a key conversation.

"You know! This whole…" Toshi paused for a moment, moving his hands in vague shapes in front of him as though struggling to articulate the proper word for what he wanted to say, finally settling with, "The whole 'being parents' thing!"

"Wait… A minute ago, you were acting like the world had ended! Now you're just okay with this all of a sudden?"

Toshi dismissed his partner's concern with a small scoff, his grin seeming only to widen further.

"Oh, please! Part of being a hero is tackling unexpected situations, and it doesn't get much more unexpected than this! If I can't handle something like this, then I don't really have what it takes to be a hero!" he replied with a cocky chuckle. Then, his expression seemed to soften slightly. "Besides, weren't you telling me a while ago how you wanted to have kids one day? Well, you got one right here!"

As Toshi proceeded to make a show of pointing down at his lower abdomen, Dave couldn't help but laugh a little, shaking his head almost incredulously. It never ceased to amaze him how his partner always managed to find the bright side of just about anything that happened to him. Yes, it was true that he'd always wanted to be a father, but there was still something bothering him about the whole situation.

"Toshi… What about _you_ , though? What about your dream to become the Symbol of Peace? I'd feel so guilty if I ruined that for you…"

Even in the face of an argument like that, Toshi's unflinching smile persisted.

"Who said I can't still be the Symbol of Peace after this? So it'll take me another year to get back to it… That doesn't mean the dream is dead! As long as I work really hard after the kid is born, it'll be like I never took a break from hero work at all! It'll be fine!"

"But… What about when you have to go back to Japan..?"

That argument was enough to finally make Toshi's grin falter for a split second, but it returned in full force soon enough.

"L-look, we… We can figure that out when the time comes. For now, though, what's the harm in being happy about it? It's gonna happen whether we like it or not, so why not enjoy it while we can? Besides…" Toshi's tone soon softened further, his arms wrapping around Dave's torso, pulling him close and touching their foreheads together. "If nothing else... It means I get to spend an extra year with you."

All doubts that remained in Dave's mind seemed to melt away at that, and he let himself relax in his lover's arms. He wrapped his arms loosely around Toshi's neck, pulling him close and fully intending to press their lips together in a passionate kiss. Before they could, however, Dave felt Toshi's index finger press against his lips instead.

"Actually, hold that thought…" he interrupted with an apologetic look on his face, reluctantly untangling himself from his lover's arms as he pulled his phone from his pocket. "We can be happy about it in, like, fifteen minutes. I gotta make a call real quick, and it is _not_ gonna be pretty…"

Dave couldn't help but chuckle lightly at that, watching as Toshi got up from the couch and made his way back to his pacing route in front of the coffee table. This time, as the hero trudged a looping path back and forth, it was with his phone held to his ear, though the same look of dread as before seemed plastered across his face. Dave looked on with no shortage of amusement, fairly certain he knew who his partner was calling. It was close to midnight there in California, so it was a perfectly reasonable time to receive a phone call over in Japan. Even so, Toshi was rather vocal about his hopes that the recipient of his call was otherwise preoccupied…

"Please don't pick up, please don't pick up, please don't pi— /O-oh, hello there, Sensei!/" Toshinori chanted nervously, slipping seamlessly from English back into his native Japanese once he heard an old man's gruff greeting on the other end of the line. "/N-no, everything's fine! B-better than fine, actually! In fact, I'm liking it over here in America so much that I was thinking of staying a bit longer, so if we could perhaps reschedule that flight back home… N-no, of course not! Why do you always assume I've done something stupid? You sent me over here to gain more experience, right? Well, I just thought I could use a little more experience, is all! Y'know… A-about nine months' worth of experience, to be exact…/"

At this point in the conversation, Dave had to clamp a hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter when Toshi was suddenly forced to hold his phone out at full arm's length from his ear, the loud roar of " _NANIII?!_ " able to be clearly heard even from across the room. Dave didn't know enough Japanese to be able to tell what was being said beyond that, but from the old man's tone and Toshi's exceptionally submissive posture and constant apologizing, he could only imagine the hero was getting one hell of a scolding.

It was well past the promised fifteen-minute mark by the time Toshi was allowed to hang up the call. The hero collapsed back onto the couch next to Dave, looking as though he'd just gone a few rounds with a rather formidable villain.

"S-sorry about that… Gran Torino-sensei's always been super serious about my training, and he's in charge of arranging my travel, so…"

"It's alright," Dave replied with a chuckle, wrapping an arm around the hero's broad shoulders and pulling him close. "May as well get it over with early, right? I'm sure he would have found out eventually when you didn't come home on time…"

"Yeah, I guess so…" Toshi replied, letting out an exasperated sigh as he let his head rest on his partner's shoulder. "And maybe he won't chew me out so bad if he's got damn near a year to get over it before I have to meet him face-to-face again…"

"See, that's the spirit," Dave replied softly, stroking the hero's opposite arm gently and letting his head rest against the larger man's own. "Best to get it out of the way now. Who knows? Maybe he'll forget all about it by the time you get back."

"Oh no, trust me, he'll _never_ let me live this down…" Toshi groaned out, nuzzling against Dave's collarbone, clearly seeking a bit more comfort from his lover. Dave was more than happy to oblige, laying back against the arm of the couch and gently pulling Toshi along with him. The hero didn't put up any resistance, eagerly locking lips with the smaller man at his prompting, making good on his promise from earlier.

"Y'know, I just thought of something…" Toshi breathed out huskily against Dave's lips between kisses, "There's no reason you have to wear a condom anymore, is there? At least for a while, anyw—"

He'd barely gotten the chance to complete his sentence when he suddenly felt something hard press against his stomach. Toshi couldn't help but burst out laughing at that.

"Jeez, Dave I'm surprised you didn't pass out from getting a boner so fast! All that blood rushing from your head, and all…" he teased mercilessly, reaching down to give the bulge in Dave's pants a gentle squeeze. Dave drew in a sharp gasp, his hands grasping at Toshi's shoulders, his hips bucking instinctively against the touch. Toshi couldn't help but smirk, but he wouldn't tease for much longer. They were both a little pent up, having been too gun-shy to do anything after what happened the last time, but now that they knew for sure Toshi was already pregnant…

Their clothes were quickly discarded onto the floor, and soon enough Toshi found himself straddling Dave's hips as the smaller man lay on the couch. The hero lowered himself down slowly, giving a pleasured groan as he felt his lover press into him. He leaned forward, bracing his hands on either side of Dave's head as he began to roll his hips in a slow, rhythmic pace.

"O-oh fuck…" Dave breathed out shakily, one hand reaching up to grab hold of Toshi's wrist. His free hand slid up one of those chiseled thighs and came to rest on the other's hip as he began to thrust himself up into his partner, keeping time with the established slow, loving rhythm. Toshi slipped his wrist from Dave's hand only to grab it with his own, their fingers intertwining as he continued to gently ride him through the night.


	3. Get a Hobby

Dave let out an annoyed groan when he was roused from sleep by a harsh, blaring buzz. Never opening his eyes, he reached out a hand to blindly probe the surface of his nightstand, eventually finding his alarm clock and hitting the button to silence the damnable thing. He then stubbornly flipped over to his other side, entirely too comfortable to want to wake up just yet. Of course, he could still get more comfortable. To that end, he reached out across the bed, aiming to wrap an arm around his lover's muscular form and pull him close to enjoy his warmth.

Rather than finding Toshi there next to him, however, his hand came to rest on bare sheets. Dave finally cracked open an eye, staring groggily over at the empty space on the bed. His brow furrowed slightly. Where could Toshi have gone so early in the morning? The sheets were still warm, so he must have only just gotten out of bed before the alarm had gone off…

Suddenly, the answer to his question came in the form of a retching sound that emanated from behind the bathroom door. Dave couldn't help but cringe slightly, a nervous, somewhat guilty expression coming over his features. Oh, right. He kept forgetting about that…

After lingering long enough to brush his teeth, a still nauseated-looking Toshi emerged from the bathroom. His normally pristinely slicked-back golden hair was a disheveled mess, the majority of it poofed out in a frizzy tangle, his bangs hanging haphazardly like a stringy curtain over his face. Dave had to bite his lip to keep from snickering at such a sight as he watched the hero shuffle back to bed, flopping down onto his side and immediately burying his face against the smaller man's neck.

"Hey, babe, can you invent something that'll let me skip this part? That'd be great, thanks…" Toshi grumbled out wearily, his complaints muffled against the fabric of his partner's t-shirt. Dave let out a small chuckle, wrapping his arms around the poor guy and stroking his back soothingly. He could feel the hero immediately relax at his touches, soon shifting slightly to press his body against the scientist's own.

Dave's gentle smile seemed to fade a bit, his brow furrowing once more. They'd lain like that plenty of times before, but something was beginning to feel off about it. He hadn't been sure of what it was before, but now he was definitely starting to notice that Toshi's belly would press closer whenever they held one another. His curiosity getting the better of him, he reached down between them and pulled up his partner's tank top to have a look at his abdomen.

The hero's once-chiseled abdominal muscles had faded in definition considerably, a swollen bulge already taking their place, which was just big enough that it couldn't quite be seen through his clothing. He couldn't help but slide his fingers softly over the gentle curve, his heart starting to pound away in his chest as it finally started to sink in that there was a baby in there. He knew from the start, of course, but it hadn't seemed real until he'd seen it and felt it for himself.

"H-hey, that kinda tickles!" Toshi said, stifling a small laugh against the scientist's neck. Dave's face immediately flushed a bright pink, and he quickly pulled his hand away.

"S-sorry!" he stammered out in embarrassment, to which the hero could only laugh again.

"For what? It's yours, you can touch it all you want."

For some reason, that only seemed to make Dave blush all the harder. If you had told him two years ago that the complete stranger who'd just rescued him from a burning building would end up having his child, he'd have gently advised you to have your head examined. Of course, even now that he'd gotten to the point where he couldn't imagine his life without the Japanese hero in it, his mind couldn't stop reeling from how fast it was all happening.

Somehow, Toshi seemed to pick up on how he was feeling, and Dave soon found himself held close in a pair of powerful yet gentle arms.

"Hey, don't go freaking out on me now. We got this, okay?" the hero assured softly, though Dave suspected it was directed towards himself just as much as it was towards him.

* * *

It was a while yet before Dave finally willed himself to leave Toshi's comforting embrace and get out of bed. As much as he would have liked to lay around with him all day, he had to get over to the university. Toshi may have already earned his degree, but Dave had a few years of school left since he was aiming for a doctorate. Of course, his graduate studies of late were less sitting through lectures and more working away in the engineering lab, which would be a good way to keep himself busy and not thinking about things too hard. Toshi, on the other hand…

Dave couldn't help but glance back towards his partner as he made his way over to the apartment door. Toshi had gotten dressed as well, his wild hair having been tamed back into his usual slick style. The hero didn't have anywhere to be, and he had all the time in the world now that he was out of school. That was a dangerous combination, especially given his current condition.

"You're going to behave yourself while I'm gone, right?" he questioned, raising a slender eyebrow at his partner. Toshi let out a scoff, rolling his eyes and setting his hands on his hips.

"Oh, come on! How irresponsible do you think I am?"

Dave could only narrow his eyes in suspicion at that, knowing _exactly_ how irresponsible the larger man could be, making a small upward motion with his finger. Toshi let out an exasperated groan.

"Jeez, you're almost as bad as Gran Torino-sensei…" he grumbled out even as he lifted his shirt up, revealing that slight baby bump once more – and, more importantly, revealing that he wasn't hiding his superhero suit under his street clothes. Satisfied, Dave rewarded him with a soft kiss on the lips before taking his leave.

* * *

Toshi didn't really have much of a plan when he left the apartment. He didn't know where to go or what to do. All he knew was that he wanted to get out for a while. Sitting around doing nothing just made him more anxious and fidgety. He felt like he had to do something – _anything_ – but now that he was done with school for good, he could come up with nothing.

Actually, no, that wasn't quite right. There was one thing that was always available to do, something he was amazing at, something he loved doing more than anything! He was a hero! He should be out there saving people and thwarting villains! But… His hand came up to rest on his stomach, where that bump lay hidden under his shirt. Hero work was the absolute last thing he should be doing right now. Sure, he was one of the best, and he almost always came out of a fight without so much as a scratch, but he couldn't guarantee that he could keep the baby safe if things got too heated.

Suddenly, as though the forces of the universe had conspired against him, a loud crash broke the relative calm of the city street. Toshi's body immediately tensed up, his legs instinctively breaking out into a run towards the source of the commotion. He rounded the corner to the next street over, emerging onto a scene of chaos. There was a building across the way – a store, an office, or even a bank, he wasn't sure – the front of it blown apart and billowing smoke and fire. All hopes of it being some sort of unfortunate accident were lost when a hulking beast lunged forward out of the rubble.

"Freeze!" came a command from one of several police officers that had responded on the scene, their pistols trained up towards the monster. "Deactivate your Quirk and put your hands behind your head!"

The beast – a hulking turtle-looking creature with a powerful lizard-like tail and vicious spikes on its shell – let out a bellowing chortle at the gathering crowd at the scene. Rather than comply, it opened its mouth and unleashed a stream of searing fire towards the group of police, sending them scattering to avoid being horribly burned.

Toshi cursed under his breath as he watched from a distance. This was bad. That guy looked like he had a powerful Quirk, perhaps even a hybrid of multiple ones. Those cops wouldn't be able to handle the situation on their own, and he didn't see any other heroes around. If it were any other time, he wouldn't hesitate to jump in and strike down this villain, but… His hand clenched against his swollen abdomen in frustration. A hero is someone who didn't hesitate to put their life on the line, but it wouldn't just be _his_ life he'd be risking. At the same time, he couldn't just sit back and do nothing! Dammit, what should he do?!

Then, an idea popped into his head. Perhaps he could defeat this villain from a distance, without anyone ever knowing he was involved? A grin slowly creeped across his face. Yeah, that could work! And it wouldn't put the baby in any danger either, so long as he was careful about it.

Turning his attention fully back to the situation at hand, Toshi slipped himself to stand mostly behind the building he was standing next to, keeping his body shielded from the shockwave he was about to unleash. He held his arm out around the corner, peeking out just far enough to take careful aim at the turtle monster. He held his middle finger back with his thumb, building up tremendous potential energy in that single digit.

The instant he released it, the loud crack of a sonic boom resonated through the street, shattering the windows of vehicles and buildings in the vicinity. At the same time, the turtle monster looked as though he'd been struck by an invisible bullet train, the air pressure from Toshi's simple flick of his finger enough to send him flying backwards and slamming into one of the interior walls with tremendous force, extinguishing the residual fires along the way.

"Hell yeah! Your daddy's still got it, kid!" Toshi celebrated quietly to himself, giving his belly a gentle pat. He lingered in the area just long enough to see that the police were able to handle the situation from there before slipping his hands in his pants pockets and casually wandering off. Perhaps he would go grab lunch or something. All that excitement sure did make him hungry.

* * *

Toshi still had a rather pleased-with-himself grin plastered across his face by the time he returned to the apartment, so much so that he didn't notice a certain car parked just outside as he skipped his way up the stairs of the stoop. As soon as he opened the door, however, he was greeted by the decidedly un-pleased David Shield.

"H-hey, babe!" Toshi greeted nervously. "What are you doing home so early? I thought you had class all day…"

"I think a better question would be 'why the hell can't I leave you alone for _five minutes_ without you running off and getting yourself into dangerous situations?!'"

Toshi couldn't help but flinch lightly at his partner's tone. Oh boy, was he angry… Understandably so, but it didn't make it any easier to be on the receiving end.

"C'mon, what was I supposed to do when something like that happens right in front of me? I can't just walk away and let it happen!" he retorted, not questioning how Dave had learned of the incident so quickly. He knew the scientist kept a police scanner in his office. He'd have gotten the play-by-play of the entire thing as it happened, and he was more than smart enough to put two and two together even if the cops couldn't.

"But that's _exactly_ what I need you to do, Toshi!" Dave pleaded, grabbing hold of his partner's shoulders almost desperately. "Please, I'm begging you, if you can't keep out of the situations you happen upon, just stay home! Just… Just give it, like, seven more months. After you have the baby, you can go back to beating the shit out of villains to your heart's content, okay?"

Toshi let out a small sigh as he stared down at his lover. He could tell Dave's anger at the situation wasn't out of any sort of malice. If anything, he seemed far more worried than angry. He must have been stressing himself out the entire time he'd been waiting for him to come home…

"B-but… what am I supposed to do sitting around here all day?"

"I don't know… Find a hobby!"

"I _have_ a hobby!"

"Find a hobby that doesn't involve constantly putting yourself in danger!" Dave shot back immediately, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Like _what?!_ Fighting's literally the only thing I've done since I got out of middle school! I don't _know_ anything else!" Toshi shot back, though his tone was not one for arguing to let him continue fighting. Quite to the contrary, he was _genuinely_ asking for suggestions, because he was drawing a complete blank. Dave let out a sigh at that, gently massaging his temples as he tried to think of something.

"Okay, uhhh… How 'bout this…" he replied, cobbling together the barest semblance of an idea even as he spoke. "When's the last time you sat down to watch a movie?"

"Uuuuhhhhmm…" Toshi replied with the blankest of looks on his face. The fact that he couldn't remember off the top of his head was telling enough.

"Alright, in that case, I've got, like, three boxes crammed full of DVDs stored in the hall closet. Just sit here, relax for a while, and watch some movies. Surely we'll have come up with something else to occupy you by the time you get through them all…"

Toshi seemed to consider this idea for a moment, though his eyes seemed to narrow slightly at one part.

"What is this 'relaxing' you speak of?" he asked somewhat sardonically, a hand moving up to stroke thoughtfully at his broad chin. Dave let an amused half-smirk cross his lips as he rolled his eyes at that, bracing a hand against his lover's back to gently lead him over to the couch.

"You're about to figure it out," Dave replied as he coaxed the hero into sitting down, leaving him just long enough to retrieve one of the aforementioned boxes of DVDs. He pried open the folded flaps of the box, pulling out the first movie he'd come across that he thought would keep Toshi's attention. He popped it into the DVD player and dropped the remote into his partner's hands.

"Just give it a try until I get home tonight, at the very least. You can manage that much, right?"

"Sure, no problem!" Toshi replied with his usual grin, giving his lover a reassuring thumbs-up. Dave smiled lightly at that, unable to resist the comfort that shining smile of his gave off. Perhaps this time he could trust that he'd keep his word…

* * *

Dave had gone back to the university after that, though he was admittedly distracted from keeping his mind exclusively on his work for the remainder of the day. His sole reassurance that Toshi was indeed staying safe like he was supposed to was the fact that his police scanner was mercifully absent of major incidents for the rest of the afternoon.

It was nearly dusk by the time he'd made his way back to the apartment, his last experiment having taken a bit longer than expected and making him rather late getting home. He'd picked up some takeout on his way back, unsure if Toshi would remember to eat in his absence. It was a stupid thing to worry about, he knew, especially since the hero's appetite had only increased in the past month to accommodate the child growing inside him. Still, he'd had to remind him to eat a few times before…

As Dave entered the apartment, he noticed that all the lights were out. He furrowed his brow slightly, and he immediately abandoned his food in the kitchen to peek around the corner into the living room. Luckily, he already saw the flickering light of the television, spotting the distinct silhouette of Toshi's hairstyle over the back of the couch. He let himself release his held breath in a sigh of relief. At least he'd behaved himself this time.

His relief was short-lived, however, as he soon picked up the faint sound of sniffling from where Toshi sat on the couch. He wasn't _crying_ , was he? Dave leaned over to peek around his partner's head, now intensely curious as to what he could be watching. The first thing he registered was the fact that it was an animated movie, and… Wait, was that the original Land Before Time? God, he'd completely forgotten he even had that movie. The hero seemed to still be in the first half of the film, having just gotten to the scene where poor Littlefoot's mother died. Oh jeez… That would certainly do the trick, wouldn't it?

"Hey, you okay?" Dave asked gently as he made his way out into the living room. Toshi slowly turned back to look at him, and goodness, was he a proper sight to behold. Tears ran down his face in constant streams, a shaking hand pointing a finger towards the television screen.

"Wh-why would they make movies like this for kids?! It's so fuckin' sad, dude!" Toshi more or less sobbed out, his breath hitching every now and then in his clearly distraught state.

"Oh, Toshi…" Dave sighed out, a gentle, sympathetic smile forming on his lips. He supposed he should have expected this much. If Toshi's hormones had gone crazy enough to have him puking his guts out every morning, then they were definitely bad enough to cause mood swings like this.

Well, he couldn't just let him suffer through it on his own. Dave circled around the couch, taking a seat next to his partner. Toshi didn't hesitate to snuggle up against the smaller man's side, burying his face against his shoulder.

"S'not fair! She was such a good mom! Why'd she have to go and die like that?!" he whimpered out, his unstifled sobbing muffled slightly against the scientist's collar. Dave merely held Toshi close, letting him get it all out as he gently stroked his back.

"I-I miss her so much, dude…"

Dave's soft smile snapped away at that last bit. The hero wasn't talking about the movie anymore, was he? Perhaps this wasn't such a hot idea after all…

"H-hey, if it's bothering you, I can always turn off the movie…"

"D-don't you dare!"

Dave was a little taken aback by such an energetic protest, Toshi's face finally leaving where it was hidden against his lab coat to practically glare up at him. Then, in yet another complete shift in mood, he melted back into a sorrowful submissiveness once more.

"I-I wanna see how it ends…" Toshi whispered out almost bashfully, resting his head on his lover's shoulder once more. Dave merely smiled down at the hero's curled-up posture, marveling at how huge and imposing he still looked even in such a vulnerable position. The smaller man shifted ever so slightly to get comfortable, and by the time the movie was over, the both of them had fallen asleep, Dave resting back against the couch while Toshi's head rested in his lap.


	4. Well, That's Just Gran

Toshi let out an uncomfortable grunt as he was roused from sleep by a sudden wave of nausea, immediately clamping a hand over his mouth and curling in on himself a bit. Dammit, it was back… He hadn't had morning sickness for the past few days, so he was sort of hoping he'd been through the worst of it already. It seemed to have come back with a vengeance, however, and he was forced to sprint to the bathroom before he even had the chance to properly open his eyes.

He only emerged about ten minutes later after he'd gotten the chance to properly compose himself – and wash the sharp taste of bile out of his mouth. He let out a groan as he leaned his shoulder against the frame of the bathroom door, reluctantly reaching up to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

"Babe, what time is it..?" he grumbled out, brushing his hair back to get it out of his face. As soon as his vision was no longer obscured, however, he found that Dave was nowhere to be seen. Shit, did he wake up so late that his partner had already left for school? No, wait, it was Saturday. The university was closed on the weekend.

Soon enough, Toshi discovered the note that had been left on Dave's side of the bed. He furrowed his brow in mild concern, picking up the scrap of paper and settling himself on the edge of the bed to read. There wasn't much to it, just a simple 'Be back in a few hours. P.S: I'm super sorry in advance.'

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" he mumbled aloud to himself, the last bit of the note obviously being the part that confused him the most. What was he out doing that he needed to preemptively apologize for? Actually, now that he thought about it, Dave had been in an odd mood for the past few days. The scientist had seemed particularly on edge, almost jumpy at times, and perpetually distracted by his own thoughts. Toshi had of course asked him if he was alright, but he'd never gotten a straight answer out of him. Maybe this had something to do with it?

The hero had no idea when Dave had left, so he wasn't sure when 'a few hours' would have gone by. Thus he was a bit caught off-guard when he heard the sound of the front door being unlocked not fifteen minutes later. Toshi glanced over the back of the couch where he'd settled himself just moments prior, flashing his lover an expectant grin when he finally rounded the corner.

"H-hey! Everything okay?" he asked somewhat nervously, unsure what he should expect after having read the note the scientist left him. Dave flinched lightly at hearing Toshi call out to him, likely expecting him to still be asleep when he got home.

"O-oh, uhhh… Y-yeah, about that…" he mumbled out hesitantly, a hand moving up to rub nervously at the back of his neck as he peeked tentatively back towards the still-open front door. Toshi cocked an eyebrow curiously, opening his mouth to inquire further, when…

" _Toshinori!_ "

Toshi's blood seemed to run cold when he heard his name being shouted by a familiar gruff voice. It was all he could do to resist the urge to futilely hide himself behind the couch as a tall, muscular old man rounded the corner behind Dave. His eyes widened in pure dread when Gran Torino's stone-faced glare zeroed in on him almost immediately.

"S-s-sensei!" Toshi stammered out in shock, his imposing form literally trembling in fear at the prospect of having to face his teacher in the state he was in. His attention was only momentarily diverted towards his lover, who currently looked as though he was trying his best to disappear into the background to escape the situation. "Wh-what the hell, dude?!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Dave practically whimpered in reply, seeming to shrink back even more. "After you took out that turtle villain, I-I panicked! I was freaking out when you didn't come home right away, and I, uhh… I-I might have given him a call then…"

"And I would have been here the next goddamn day if it didn't take so long to process my visa!" Gran Torino added, folding his arms across his chest. "Now get your ass over here, boy!"

Toshi flinched visibly at the command, and for a moment he was torn between obeying his teacher and wanting to run the hell away in any way he could. Eventually he realized that there was no hope for an escape, so he grudgingly made his way around the couch to stand before the old hero. Toshi stood head and shoulders above the gray-haired man, yet Dave couldn't help but marvel at how utterly submissive his partner became in the face of his sensei. He was practically cowering!

Gran Torino took a moment to look his student over, his eyes lingering for a long moment on the sizeable bulge in the young hero's abdomen that had grown too large to be hidden under his clothes.

"If you weren't knocked up, I'd beat the shit out of you," he commented wryly, watching as Toshi's already hunched posture seemed to slump even further. He then continued, switching over to their native tongue. "/How much Japanese does this boy know?/"

Toshi's eyes shifted briefly over towards Dave. It felt rude to blatantly talk about someone right in front of them in a language they didn't know, but if they were about to discuss what he thought…

"/O-only a few basic words and phrases…/"

"/Good./"

With that, Gran Torino grabbed hold of Toshi's ear, dragging the young hero back towards the couch. Dave, clearly taking the hint that he wasn't to be a party to this conversation, wandered awkwardly into the kitchen.

"I'll just, uhhh… Make you some coffee or something…"

Meanwhile, Toshi was made to sit back down on the couch, Gran Torino settling himself in the seat next to him.

"/I swear to God, you just thrive on making my job more difficult, don't you?/"

"/S-sorry…/" the young hero replied, his shoulders slumping yet further. Gran Torino merely let out a sigh at his student's incessant apologizing.

"/Yeah, well… I guess it can't be helped. What's done is done. I know you're too much of a softie to have even _considered_ getting rid of the kid, so there's nothing to do but deal with it now. Jeez… Shimura just _had_ to find a successor that was exactly like her, didn't she…/"

Toshi wasn't sure whether he should take that as a compliment or not, but he smiled nonetheless at being compared to his late master.

"/So… Who have you told about this?/" the young hero asked hesitantly, his smile fading a bit at the thought of others back in Japan finding out about his condition. Gran Torino merely scoffed in reply.

"/What kind of idiot do you take me for? I'm not about to go spreading this around, not while _that bastard_ is still around,/" the older man replied, still unwilling to use All for One's name within earshot of Dave, even though he'd likely not understand a word of what they were saying. "/The only one I've told is Recovery Girl. Between the two of us, we're probably the only people left alive that know how to deal with a pregnant One for All user./"

"/W-wait, really?/" Toshi stammered out in mild surprise. "/I didn't realize Master already had her Quirk when she had her son…/"

"/Of course she did. The only difference is that she actually _planned_ to have her child with her _husband_. She didn't go and get herself knocked up by her college roommate./"

Toshi couldn't help but shrink away at that direct hit, his hand instinctively moving to rub lightly at his swollen belly.

"/S-so… That's why you came all the way over here? Because of One for All?/"

"/No, I came over here because apparently you can't be trusted to keep yourself out of danger even when you have an unborn baby to protect! You're twenty-three years old, Toshinori! I shouldn't have to babysit you like this!/" Gran Torino scolded, earning him another fearful flinch from his student. He then let out an exasperated sigh. "/But, as long as I'm here, we may as well sort out your Quirk situation. It's probably best that we discuss this in person anyway.

There's not much you need to worry about beyond what your doctor would have told you already, since I assume they think your Quirk is a basic strength-enhancing type. The only thing you've got to worry about is keeping from accidentally passing One for All onto your kid./"

Once again, Toshi felt a chilling wave wash over him at that thought.

"/W-wait, that can happen?! I thought it couldn't be unwillingly transferred!/"

"/It _can't_ , but, well… As strong as you are, this pregnancy is going to take its toll on you. You're going to be absolutely miserable, especially in the last couple of months leading up to the birth. If you're not careful, the stress of it all may make you wish to transfer your Quirk to the child for whatever reason, whether it be wanting to protect the baby or the pressure simply becoming too much for you to handle for a moment. So long as you're connected to the baby through the umbilical cord there will be a constant transfer of DNA between the two of you, and even a momentary lapse in judgement can initiate the transfer. So long as you're aware of the possibility, however, it should be easy for you to keep it from happening./"

Toshi listened quietly as Gran Torino explained it all to him. Alright, so he just had to make sure his mind didn't wander into thinking of giving his Quirk to the baby. He could do that. Honestly, he had no choice in the matter. As insanely powerful as One for All was, he wouldn't want to burden a child with the responsibility of having such a Quirk without having the opportunity to choose it for themselves. Besides, he couldn't bear the thought of making his child go up against someone like All for One…

"/But that would mean… Unless the baby inherits Dave's Quirk…/"

Gran Torino nodded his head in confirmation.

"/I'm afraid the kid'll probably end up Quirkless./"

Toshi's heart sank at that. Quirkless… It was practically a dirty word nowadays. With how important Quirks had become in society, no parent wanted to hear that their child would have to go through life without one. He only hoped the kid would inherit his lover's intelligence at the very least. Dave's path as a scientist was a far safer one for their child to follow anyway.

"/So…/" Gran Torino began again after a sizeable stretch of silence. "/How much does your scrawny boyfriend know about One for All?/"

The younger hero couldn't help but blush lightly when his sensei referred to Dave that way.

"/N-nothing. I haven't told him anything about it. He thinks I have a strength Quirk, same as everyone else./"

"/And what about that bastard?/"

Toshi shook his head.

"/I haven't mentioned him at all./"

"/Good. Keep it that way./"

"/B-but… What am I supposed to tell him when I have to go back home? I can't just leave him with the baby and take off with no explanation…/"

To that, Gran Torino merely shrugged his shoulders.

"/That's what we call a 'you problem,' kid. You're going to have to figure that out for yourself – _without_ telling him about One for All./"

* * *

"Holy shit, how can talking be so damn exhausting…" Toshi groaned as he flopped himself onto his back on the bed, draping an arm over his eyes to block out the light for a while. He felt the mattress sink slightly at his side as Dave took a seat there, the scientist's hand sliding under his shirt to rub gently at the bulge in his abdomen. Toshi let out a relaxed hum at his lover's touch, some of the tension leaving his body already.

"I'm really sorry about all this… I only found out he'd be coming here a few days ago, and I wasn't sure how to tell you without you stressing out over it. I guess you kinda got stressed out anyway…"

Toshi let out a sigh, but gave his partner a soft smile to show he wasn't mad.

"It's alright. It's probably better that he's here anyway so you can concentrate on your work without worrying over me."

"I don't think there's anything that would make me stop worrying about you." Dave replied with a light chuckle. "By the way, if you don't mind me asking, what were the two of you talking about? I overheard something about Quirks, but I couldn't pick up on much else."

Toshi tensed up all over again at that, which he sincerely hoped his partner couldn't feel with his hand still on his belly. Shit, he never thought Dave would know the Japanese word for Quirk…

"O-oh, uhh… We just got to discussing what kind of Quirk the baby could have is all. Sensei's English is a little rusty, so it's just easier for us to speak in Japanese about these things…"

It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole story either. Still, Dave seemed to accept the explanation, a small smile spreading across his lips.

"Oh, I see. That makes sense. In that case, I kinda hope the baby gets your Quirk. I'd hate for them to end up with my useless Quirk…"

At that point, Toshi lifted his arm from where they covered his eyes, staring almost seductively up at his lover with a suggestive smirk on his face.

"Oh, I dunno, 'Bendy Fingers' ain't so bad. I, for one, enjoy the hell out of your Quirk!"

Dave let out an embarrassed laugh at that, his hand moving up to try to hide the rosy blush quickly spreading across his cheeks.

"Jesus Christ, Toshi… Is your mind ever _not_ in the gutter?"

The hero's smirk seemed to spread into a mischievous grin at that, and he replied with a playful, "Nope!"


	5. Kicking It Up A Notch

Toshi couldn't stop his leg from bouncing anxiously as he waited for the nurse to call his name, the atmosphere of the clinic waiting room becoming more stifling by the minute. It wasn't exactly crowded in there – in fact there were only two or three other couples there at any given time – but he couldn't help but feel like he was somehow being stared at by everyone in the building. They were easily the most conspicuous group there, not least of which because there wasn't a woman among them. Of course, it didn't help that the patient himself was an absolute giant, making him impossible to overlook even as he slumped as far down in his chair as he dared to.

"Calm your tits, kid. No one here's going to recognize you," Gran Torino assured in his typical rough manner, though that didn't stop Toshi from hugging his arms around his largely swollen abdomen in a futile attempt to make it less noticeable, his embarrassed blush hidden behind the curtain of his long bangs. He hadn't fixed his hair up in its usual slick style, afraid that it would have made him too recognizable now that it was quite impossible to hide how pregnant he was.

"Mr. Yagi?"

Toshi jumped slightly when he heard his name being called out across the waiting room. He let out a groan. Well, if everyone wasn't staring at him before, they sure would be now. He was only distracted from his self-conscious worries when he felt Dave take hold of his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. The hero returned the gesture as gently as he could before the two of them got up to make their way towards the back of the clinic.

They were led back to an exam room, where the doctor was already waiting for them. He was a middle-aged man, his dull red hair balding at the front, kind green eyes smiling at the two of them from behind a pair of rimless glasses. Toshi was finally able to relax a bit once the door was closed behind him. He was infinitely glad that Dave had managed to hunt down such a nice doctor – and one who had experience with transgender patients at that. That alone was enough to make him less stressed in his presence.

"Hey Doc, how's it going?" Toshi asked, trying his best not to make it awkward as he gave the him a nervous half-smile. The doctor let out a light chuckle at that.

"I should be asking you that, Mr. Yagi," he replied softly, giving the exam bed a pat in a wordless invitation for his patient to hop up. "I hope you're both ready for your first good look at your baby."

Toshi couldn't help but blush lightly at that, but was easily able to hoist himself up onto the bed. He then watched as the doctor pulled over a cart with a familiar device on it, a moderately-sized display screen being the main feature. The hero couldn't help but flinch lightly at the sight of it, remembering the first time he'd encountered the thing a few months back.

"Oh no, not this again…" he grumbled out, falling back to reluctantly lay fully against the exam bed, running his hands down his face. He could hear his partner let out a chuckle, though a hand gently stroked his shoulder in an effort to reassure him.

"Oh, come on, it wasn't _that_ bad last time, was it?" Dave replied with a small smirk, to which Toshi could only shoot him a withering glare.

"I damn near pissed myself, Dave!" the hero shot back immediately, his cheeks flushing a deeper shade of red upon recalling the incident. "I swear, when I find the sadistic villain that devised a test that requires you to have a full bladder…"

The doctor let out a small chuckle at that.

"Don't worry, that was only because you were so early along. The ultrasound works better through fluids. It won't be quite so invasive this time. I'll only need you to lift up your shirt."

Somewhat relieved to hear this, Toshi pulled his shirt up to his chest, revealing a baby bump that had clearly had a good five months to swell up to its current size. He then watched curiously as the doctor pulled out a tube of what looked like some sort of gel, flinching at the sudden coldness as it was squirted over his bulging belly. He tried his best to resist the urge to squirm away as the doctor pressed the ultrasound wand against him, though he was soon distracted as the display screen lit up with a grainy black and white image.

Toshi wasn't entirely sure what he was looking at to begin with, the vague organic shapes meaning nothing to him as they flickered by, but he found himself unable to look away, his heart starting to pound away in his chest. Dave seemed to be feeling similarly to him, as he soon felt his partner's hand nervously grasp his own. After a few tense minutes of this, the image finally coalesced into the gray silhouette of an unborn infant, at which point Toshi could feel his heart skip a beat.

"There she is, fellas," the doctor announced softly, holding the device stationary for a while to let the parents see.

"I-it's a girl?!" Dave stammered out in surprise, his grip tightening slightly on the hero's hand. Toshi couldn't really find words as he stared at the screen. Dave had gone through a similar moment months ago, but it had taken him seeing their child for the first time – their _daughter_ – for it to sink in just how real this was.

Before Toshi had the chance to process the overwhelming heap of emotions that had been dumped on him all at once in that moment, something happened on the screen that pulled his attention back to reality. The baby moved, kicking out her legs a few times and shifting around where she lay curled up inside him.

"She kicked!" Dave exclaimed in amazement, a huge grin spreading across. The doctor smiled in response to that.

"Yes, she's actually been very active this whole time. It makes it a little hard to carry out a proper examination, but it's a good sign to see her moving around so much. I'm honestly surprised Mr. Yagi hasn't complained about it yet. She must have been kicking like this for at least a few weeks now."

Upon hearing that, Dave's grin quickly vanished. A few weeks? That didn't sound right. Surely if Toshi had felt the baby kicking it would have been the only thing he could talk about for days. He looked down at his partner, a chill washing over him when he saw his expression. Toshi wasn't smiling. Instead, the hero continued to stare at the screen, his brows knit in something straddling the line between confusion and concern.

"I… I can't feel it…" he admitted finally, his voice gone unusually quiet. Dave couldn't help but shake his head at that, unable to believe it.

"What do you mean you can't feel it? She's been squirming around like crazy just in the past couple of minutes! There's no way you can't feel that!"

"I-I don't know, I just… _Can't!_ " Toshi replied, turning to look up at his lover with an expression that verged on panic, his eyes pleading for some explanation as to what was happening.

Luckily, the doctor didn't seem terribly concerned at all, reacting to the situation with a thoughtful hum.

"I see… That's odd for someone with a strength Quirk. Usually that only happens to those with some sort of damage resistance Quirk."

The two of them could only stare in bewilderment as the doctor seemed to think aloud to himself.

"W-wait, so… You mean he can't feel the baby because of his Quirk?"

"Perhaps. There's really only one way to find out."

The doctor removed the ultrasound wand from where he'd held it pressed against Toshi's abdomen, causing the image to disappear from the screen. He then handed the hero a towel to clean up the gel still smeared across his belly before stepping out of the room.

Toshi was so overwhelmed by everything that he'd hardly even registered that the doctor had given him something. One for All was keeping him from feeling the baby move? That was really bad, wasn't it? What if something happened and she stopped moving? He'd never know until it was far too late! What the hell was he supposed to do about something like that?!

Suddenly, he felt a hand come to rest on his shoulder, that towel gently slipping from his grasp.

"H-hey, don't freak out, okay?" Dave assured softly as he proceeded to wipe the gel from his partner's abdomen. "The doctor seemed pretty calm about it, so I'm sure it's nothing that can't be easily fixed."

Toshi could only stare down at his lover at that, unsure of how he should respond. Surely Dave was just as apprehensive as he was, but the scientist had immediately taken charge of the situation where he couldn't. Normally that was the young hero's job, always smiling and reassuring others. It just went to show just how much the pregnancy was affecting him already. Gran Torino hadn't been exaggerating in his warning, it seemed.

The doctor wasn't gone for long, soon returning to the examination room with something held in his hand.

"Alright, this should do the trick."

Toshi looked up at that, eyeing the thing the doctor held. It looked to be a thick segmented band made of an unidentifiable metallic material, but he couldn't tell much else from a glance. Even so, he couldn't help but narrow his eyes in suspicion.

"Alright, what is that and where is it going?" he asked with no shortage of trepidation, a habit he'd picked up anytime the doctor produced some medical device he was unfamiliar with. The older man let out an amused chuckle, as though responding to an inside joke.

"Nowhere particularly uncomfortable, I promise," he assured softly, holding out the band for the hero to take. "You can just wear this on your wrist like a watch and it should work just fine."

"Okay, but… What does it do?" Toshi asked even as he undid the clasp to put the device on his wrist.

"It's made to neutralize your Quirk."

Dave had never seen a faster one-eighty in his life, watching as his lover shifted seamlessly from working to put the suppression band around his wrist to tossing the thing across the room as though it had suddenly turned into a live tarantula.

" _T-Toshi!_ " he called out in shock, having never expected such behavior from his partner. The doctor seemed to take it in stride, however, letting out a good-natured laugh as he went to retrieve the band from where it landed on the floor.

"It's alright, Mr. Shield. It's my fault for not explaining in detail," he began, inspecting the device to ensure that it hadn't been damaged. "Ironically, this band is similar to the sort of Quirk-suppression devices the police use to keep villains safely in custody while blocking the use of their Quirks. As long as you wear it, you won't be able to use your Quirk, no matter how much you try. It's quite temporary, I assure you. The effect will wear off the instant you take the band off. If I'm being honest, I wasn't planning on making you wear something like this until you started your third trimester, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt for you to get used to it a little early."

"Wait…" Toshi replied, now considerably calmer now that he knew the device wouldn't take his Quirk away permanently. "You were going to make me wear something like this anyway? Why?"

"Standard procedure for expectant mothers with strength-based Quirks," the doctor replied matter-of-factly. "Some mothers have Quirks that are dangerous for their unborn children, and I'm afraid yours falls under that category. If you were to have a contraction with your Quirk active, you'd instantly crush the baby. This band will keep that from happening, though you'll also have to deal with whatever symptoms that your Quirk has been masking until now."

Toshi took the band once more now that he knew more about what it was, staring at it for a long moment. He absolutely hated the thought of giving up One for All, even if it was temporary, but… If he didn't, then their daughter would…

All hesitation drained from him in that moment, and he made quick work of securing the band around his wrist. In the next instant, the hero felt as his superhuman strength seemed to evaporate from his muscles, countless little aches and pains appearing all over his body in its place.

"W-wow, I hate it already…" Toshi groaned out, shifting uncomfortably as though he was trying to work out a kink in his back that simply wouldn't go away. It came out like a joke, but it genuinely bothered him. It had been almost a decade since he'd been Quirkless, and to be forced back into that state, now of all times…

Of course, his complaining was short-lived, as a completely new sensation overtook him a moment later. He wasn't sure how to describe it. It was definitely a little too strong to call it a fluttering in his abdomen. Unfortunately, as stupid of an image as it was, he could only compare it to the feeling he imagined a fish would make if it was flopping around inside him. The hero's hand instinctively moved to rub gently at the spot on his belly where the kicks were hitting him, as though trying to calm the restless child inside. Through all this, he hadn't noticed the huge grin that had spread across his face.

"I-I can feel her!" Toshi announced excitedly, turning his happy smile up towards his partner. Dave looked as though he'd just released the breath he'd been holding in relief, returning the smile. Now _that_ was the kind of reaction he'd expected from him. He didn't resist when the hero took hold of his hand, moving it to rest on a specific spot on his swollen abdomen. It took a moment, but the scientist soon felt the tiniest little bump against his palm. He felt his heart begin to flutter in his chest upon feeling their baby move, and he soon wrapped his free arm around Toshi's shoulders to pull him close, planting a soft kiss on his forehead.

"See? I told you it would be okay."

* * *

Toshi's good mood was almost immediately put to the test after they left the clinic. One for All had indeed been suppressing some of his symptoms, and having them hit him all at once certainly took its toll on him. Between the ache in his lower back and the uncomfortable pressure in his abdomen, he found himself shifting restlessly in his seat the entire way home. He was sure he'd get used to it soon enough, but for the moment it was impossible to ignore.

As soon as they got back to the apartment, Toshi made a beeline for his and Dave's bedroom. He settled himself on the edge of the bed, a hand rubbing against his belly as he felt the baby moving around inside.

"Alright, kiddo, it was cute the first fifty times. You can give it a rest for a while," he grumbled out, debating whether or not he should even attempt to take a nap with her kicking so much. At least he knew where all of his energy had gone all of a sudden.

A moment later, Dave came into the room, one hand held conspicuously behind his back.

"Hey, how're you holding up?" he asked, giving Toshi an apologetic smile. He knew how tempting it must be for the hero to take the suppression band off for a while, if only for a brief reprieve from his newfound discomfort. His partner replied with a small sigh.

"I'll be alright. Just gotta get used to it, I guess…"

Dave sat down next to him on the bed, a hand moving to gently rub at the expectant hero's back. That was all the invitation Toshi needed to lean against his lover's side, resting his head on his shoulder. Before he could get too comfortable, however, the scientist pulled his other hand from behind his back, holding out a small colorfully-wrapped gift for him to take.

"I know it's a few days early, but I figured you deserve a little something after all of the excitement today, so… Happy birthday."

Toshi was a little caught off-guard by that. Holy crap, he'd completely forgotten it was almost his birthday! He supposed he'd been a little too focused on a different kind of birthday and it ended up sneaking up on him. He straightened up and accepted the gift, making quick work of tearing off the wrapping paper. Soon enough, he held in his hands a tiny infant's onesie that was patterned to look like his own superhero costume, complete with a detachable cape.

"Sorry it's not exactly girly. I guess I should have waited to find out the baby's gender before I made the thing, huh?" Dave commented with a nervous chuckle, a hand rubbing at the back of his neck. When he looked up towards his partner, however, he found a pair of tear-filled blue eyes staring back at him, the hero's chin quivering in an effort to keep them at bay. In the next moment, he found himself encapsulated in a pair of strong arms, Toshi's face buried against his chest. "H-hey, c'mon! There's no need to cry!"

"Y-yes there is!" came the hero's muffled, sobbing reply, "It's fucking perfect and it deserves tears, dammit!"


	6. What's On Your Mind

Dave unconsciously ran a hand through his freshly-cut hair, unsure that he liked how hot the late-September sun felt on the back of his neck. He had to admit, now that the deed was done, he was going to miss his longer hair, but it couldn't be helped. Things were about to change very soon, and he had to change himself to adapt. He just hoped Toshi would like it.

When he opened the door, he could already hear the faint sound of the television drifting in from the living room. It was just a looping clip of music, the sort that would play in a DVD menu. Dave couldn't stop a small smile from spreading across his lips, pretty sure he knew what would be waiting for him inside.

Sure enough, he found Toshi stretched out on his side on the couch, clearly having fallen asleep in the middle of a movie. Again. Dave wasn't about to complain about that. The past few weeks had been really rough on his partner, and the poor guy could only manage to get an hour or two of sleep at a time before being woken up by the baby moving too much or – the far more stress-inducing option – a wayward contraction.

This last thought led Dave to nervously glance down towards Toshi's midsection. The hero was due to have the baby any day now, and his belly had grown so large that it couldn't quite fit under a normal men's shirt anymore. He was currently wearing a maternity shirt that stretched just as tightly over his bulky muscles as it did over his formidable baby bump, a simple pair of sweatpants covering his legs.

Dave was content to just let his lover get as much sleep as he could while he got the chance, grabbing the blanket that had been left draped over the back of the couch. Before he could cover Toshi with it, however, he could hear the hero let out a familiar grunt of discomfort, a hand moving up to rub at his belly.

"You okay?" Dave asked nervously as he watched Toshi struggle a bit to sit himself up.

"Yeah, I'm fine… Just sore…" he replied wearily, leaning back to rest against the back of the couch, a hand shielding his eyes from the traces of daylight streaming in through the windows.

"Where's Gran Torino?"

"Dunno. Probably out for a walk or something. I guess he figured he didn't need to watch me so closely now that I can barely stand up on my own. Speaking of which… Mind giving me a hand?"

Dave smiled lightly at that, circling around the couch and taking hold of the hand that was held out to him, helping Toshi keep his balance as he hefted himself up to his feet. Toshi flashed him a weary smile by way of thanks, though his expression changed in a flash when he finally noticed the scientist's change in appearance.

"Dave, your hair!" he exclaimed in surprise, reaching out to run his fingers through his lover's short wavy locks. Dave could only chuckle in amusement at the hero's reaction, letting him mess with his hair all he wanted.

"Yeah, sorry. I know you liked it the way it was, but I figured if I'm gonna be a dad soon I'd better get rid of the hippie hair. It doesn't look that bad, does it?"

"Nah, it's a good look for you!" Toshi assured with a grin. "It makes you look more, err… _Mature?_ "

"You can say it, Toshi. It makes me look like an old dude." Dave replied with a smirk, to which the hero seemed to shrink away with a nervous smile at his failed attempt at being tactful.

"Y-yeah, well… The glasses don't really help that…"

At their mention, Dave became painfully aware of the thick-framed glasses resting on his face. He reached up to self-consciously push them up the bridge of his nose, using the action to try to hide the embarrassed blush on his cheeks.

"L-look, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to have the time or energy to mess around with contact lenses when we've got a baby to take care of, so… Dad-mode activated, I guess?"

That managed to pull a laugh out of Toshi, but it was short-lived. The hero fell into abrupt silence, a hand clamping down tightly on Dave's shoulder to keep himself upright, his face slowly twisting into a grimace of discomfort that verged on pain. A quick glance down was all it took to see his abdominal muscles tightening up. The scientist couldn't stop the wave of panic that washed over him as he slipped himself under his lover's arm to steady him, bracing an arm across the expectant hero's back as he gently coaxed him forward.

"E-easy does it. Just breathe and walk it out, big guy. No need to panic," Dave assured softly, though whether that last part was directed towards himself or to Toshi even he wasn't sure. Either way, he just focused on helping his partner move aimlessly forward. Having him walk around a little usually made these early contractions go away, and if it didn't this time…

Much to his relief, Dave soon felt as the tension started to ease from his lover's body, the strong grip on his shoulder lessening considerably.

"A-alright, I think it's over…" Toshi panted out, sounding more worn out than he had been a moment ago. Dave let out a relieved sigh at that. While both of them were eager for it to finally be over, the scientist would be lying if he said he wasn't almost dreading the actual birth, if only out of sympathy for his partner. He could only imagine how much worse it must be for the hero himself. He's the one that had to go through all the pain and hard work, after all.

Keeping Toshi steady even as the worst of the contraction subsided, Dave led him back towards their bedroom. Their bed had quite a few more pillows on it now, most of which were piled on the pregnant hero's side. He made sure to position one of them under his partner's back as he helped him into bed.

Toshi didn't resist being led around the house like that. Honestly, he was so distracted by everything his body was doing to him that he'd barely noticed at all. Besides, having Dave there to help him along served to mask how ridiculous it looked when he tried to walk now. He was grateful that he was able to breathe a little easier now that the baby had dropped lower in his belly, but the way it made him waddle around was just downright embarrassing.

The hero let out a small groan even as he sunk back against the pillows, none of it really helping to ease the incessant aching in his back. Even so, he gave his lover a grateful smile.

"Sorry I've been such a hassle lately, babe…"

"N-no, it's fine! It's not your fault! Besides, it won't be for much longer," Dave assured, a hand reaching out to gently massage his partner's largely swollen abdomen. This seemed to help more than anything else had, as Toshi let out a content hum and leaned his head back to rest against his pillows, closing his eyes as he relaxed under his lover's soft touches. Dave smiled lightly, relieved that he was able to help the hero feel a little better, even if it wasn't much.

Unfortunately, as Dave let his mind wander, his smile soon faded. It had been nearly nine months since the subject was last brought up, but now that they were so close to being parents, it felt irresponsible to continue to avoid talking about it for much longer. Of course, even though he knew they had to sort the matter out, it didn't stop Dave's heart from hurting just thinking about it.

"Toshi…" he began once he was finally able to steel himself for the coming conversation, "Do you… D-do you really have to leave after she's born?"

He felt the hero tense up all over again, but he didn't say a word. Dave looked up to find Toshi was just lying there, his smile gone, his brows tightly knit as he stared up at the ceiling as though searching for how to reply. The scientist couldn't wait long enough to give his partner time to think, though.

"I-I mean… Can't you stay here with us? You can be the Symbol of Peace just as effectively here as you can in Japan. America would love to keep a hero like you… A-and I…"

"Dave…" Toshi replied with a weary sigh, his tired eyes almost seeming to disappear into shadow as he reached down to rest his hand over the one his lover still held against his abdomen. "You have no idea how much I want to stay here with you. It hurts just to think about having to leave you here, about how I…" he choked slightly, "H-how I'm going to have to miss watching her grow up, a-and…"

Dave could feel Toshi's hand begin to tremble against his own, and he grasped it tightly in an effort to still it.

"B-but why?! There's no reason you have to do that to yourself! Heroes have families all the time! You can, too!"

"No, I can't…" came Toshi's wavering retort. "I have to go back. In Japan, there's… I-it's my home, Dave. It's the home my master fought so hard to protect until the bitter end… They _need_ me."

"Th-then…" Dave began, trying his best to think even as the lenses of his glasses fogged up from the tears stinging at his eyes. "Th-then we'll go back with you!"

"Dave, you can't—"

"Yes, I can!" he interrupted before his partner had the chance to counter him, his hand squeezing almost desperately at Toshi's own. "I-I can transfer to a university in Japan! I'll learn Japanese, I'll do whatever it takes! Please! I… I can't imagine a life without you there to brighten everything with your light!"

" _No!_ "

Dave was taken aback by such a forceful protest. Had he said something wrong? Did Toshi somehow not feel as strongly about him as he first thought? The very idea felt like a knife to the heart. However, after he pushed up his glasses to rest on his forehead he saw, even through the blur of his heartache and his imperfect vision, that the hero's own face was stained by sorrowful tears. Furthermore, he seemed to be struggling with himself, as though he wanted desperately to tell him something but simply couldn't. Finally, something in him seemed to relent.

"I-in Japan, there's… Th-there's a _villain_ …" Toshi began in little more than a feeble whisper, an expression of helpless guilt coming over him as though he were breaking some sacred covenant by speaking of such a thing. Dave was caught quite off-guard by the direction the conversation had gone, having not expected the subject of villains to come up in their deeply personal matters. Still, he listened with rapt attention, giving his lover the chance to explain.

"I-I hope you can understand that I can't give you the details, but… It's enough for you to know that I had already made a very powerful enemy the moment I started training to become a hero. He doesn't just want to kill me, Dave. He wants to _break_ me first… H-he killed my master, but before he did that he murdered her husband and forced her to give up her child to keep him out of that sadistic bastard's grasp. I-I can't even bear the _thought_ of that happening to you or our daughter! If the two of you remain here, then you'll be out of his grasp, but… I _have_ to go. I'm the only one who can defeat him, and if I just ignore him and stay here, he'll just keep getting stronger and stronger until he comes over here to America and-!"

Before Toshi could spiral into a blubbering mess at discussing such a thing, Dave leaned down and pulled him into his arms, holding his partner close as he ran a hand soothingly through his messy golden hair.

"I-it's… It's okay, Toshi…" Dave replied softly, though it was all he could do to keep his voice from breaking in such a situation. Everything he'd just been told… It was a lot to take in all at once, and he'd be lying if he said he truly understood any of it. Even so, he couldn't help but be astounded at the fact that Toshi had kept all that bottled up for so long. It must have been killing him to know that there was no way he could stay, that he couldn't let himself settle down and have a family, that he had to sacrifice his happiness to keep them safe.

Dave wasn't sure what he could say after that. He didn't like any of this. In fact, he hated it. It seemed so unfair. Toshi had always worked so hard to save others, always faced every challenge with an unshakable smile on his face, but when it came to him having something he wanted for himself…

Meanwhile, Toshi had dissolved into incoherent sobbing against his chest, his arms clinging almost desperately around the scientist's shoulders and refusing to let go. Dave could do little more than stroke his lover's back, though he knew no amount of comfort would ease either of their minds.

* * *

Gran Torino had been standing outside the bedroom door for the past several minutes, his back leaning against the wall and his arms folded across his chest. He remained there for a while, silently listening to every word at the two younger men talked, listening as it soon devolved into emotional near-hysterics. His brows hunched lower over his eyes when he heard his student mention a certain unspeakable someone. Damn kid just couldn't be trusted to keep his big mouth shut, could he?

Then again…

After hearing the extent of the conversation – such as it was – Gran Torino let out a resigned sigh. The kid was in a vulnerable place at the moment, and he supposed Toshinori had kept it vague enough, leaving out the names of certain sensitive persons and not mentioning the true nature of his Quirk at all…

With a gruff grunt, Gran Torino pushed himself from his spot against the wall, slipping his hands into his pants pockets as he made his way back towards the spare room he'd been staying in. He supposed he could let the kid off easy, if only this once.


	7. You Got This!

"Toshinori, I swear to God, if you don't sit still I'm going to tie your ass down to the couch," Gran Torino grumbled out in annoyance, watching as the younger hero paced restlessly around the apartment. Even after having to deal with something similar with Nana Shimura back in the day, he still couldn't get used to the seemingly arbitrary shifting between tired and achy to suddenly bursting with too much energy that these last few weeks of pregnancy brought.

Of course, it didn't help that Toshi had nothing to do to get all of his excess energy out. The kid wasn't usually much for cleaning, but the entire apartment was now spotless and then some. Unfortunately, that meant that the gravid hero had to resort to practically walking laps around the house to burn some of it off. Honestly, it was starting to make Gran Torino dizzy just watching it.

Before the younger man could come around again, the old hero pushed the coffee table forward with his foot, propping his legs up on the surface, effectively cutting off the path. Once Toshi made to pass by, he stopped for a moment, staring down at his teacher's legs with clear annoyance on his face. Before he could turn around and go the other way, Gran Torino reached out to grab him by the wrist.

"For Christ's sake, kid, cut it out! You're not doing yourself any favors by pacing around like this! You should be resting up while you've got the chance!"

"Don't you think I want to?!" Toshi practically snapped back in retort, causing Gran Torino to raise his eyebrows at the younger hero's newfound chutzpah in his presence. "I know there's literally nothing I can do right now, but I feel like I'm wasting so much time just sitting around here waiting for something to happen! I haven't done hero work in over half a year and _it's driving me up a fucking wall!_ I need to do something! I don't care what, just… _something!_ "

Gran Torino remained silent and ultimately unimpressed throughout Toshi's little outburst. He merely stared up at the younger man, looking him over as though sizing him up. As his eyes wandered, however, he let out a heavy sigh, getting up from where he sat on the couch and grabbing his coat from where it lay draped over the back.

"Get in the car, Toshinori."

Toshi was a little bewildered by that response, his defiant attitude dissolving in an instant to stare blankly at his teacher as the older man shrugged his coat on over his shoulders.

"Uhhh… Where are we going?"

"The hospital."

"Wh-why?"

"Because your water just broke."

Toshi practically froze solid upon hearing that. His what did what now?! After a moment, he finally willed himself to move, reaching down to feel where he couldn't see past his largely swollen belly. His hand came away wet, his pants soaked through at the crotch. The young hero's face instantly flushed a deep embarrassed red, a chill of dread washing over his body in realization at what was happening. No no no, he couldn't be having the baby already! He changed his mind! He wasn't ready for this yet!

* * *

Meanwhile, Dave found himself on his back underneath some large, surely highly-classified device, a screwdriver held at the ready in his teeth as he worked to loosen the bolts on a panel above his head. He was so distracted by the work that he was doing that he hardly noticed at all when someone else entered that section of the lab.

"Hey, Dave? Did you happen to leave your phone at home or something?"

The question posed by one of his fellow graduate students was a strange one indeed, but it soon had him patting down his pants pockets for his phone. Once his search came up empty he furrowed his brow in confusion, reaching up to remove the screwdriver from his mouth.

"Yeah, looks like I must have. Why do you ask?"

"Some old Asian dude called a minute ago. I thought he had the wrong number, but he was asking for you by name. Told me to tell you some lady's gone into labor. I think her name's, like… Shinori or something like that?"

Just as the other man said that, there was a loud bang like something hitting against hollow metal followed by a loud pained shout of "Fuck!" A moment later, Dave slid out from under the hulking device, his hands clamped firmly over his forehead where he'd slammed it into the panel he'd been working on in reaction to the news. He didn't spare a moment to compose himself, jumping up to his feet so quickly that he'd nearly given himself vertigo before sprinting towards the door.

"S-sorry, I'll finish this later! I gotta go!" was all he could get out in frantic explanation as he ran past his classmate, already well on his way down the stairs before the other could utter a word in response.

* * *

Dave had likely broken half a dozen traffic laws on his way to the hospital across town, but he really didn't give a shit at the moment. He'd gladly pay whatever tickets he'd get later. It was hardly a half an hour after he'd been given Gran Torino's message when he sprinted through the lobby doors, skidding to a stop in front of the main desk there and panting so hard from his mad dash that he could barely get a word out once there. The nurse, apparently recognizing his frantic demeanor in an instant, merely pointed over towards the main elevators.

"Maternity ward is on the second floor. Take a left after you get out of the elevators. You can't miss it."

"Th-thanks…" he replied breathlessly before taking her directions and making his way over to the elevators. He had to resist the urge to repeatedly mash the button, knowing it wouldn't bring the lift down any faster. He resorted to shoving his hands in his pockets and pacing anxiously. After what felt like hours but was surely only seconds, the elevator doors finally opened. He dashed inside, hitting the button for the second floor before he even properly passed through the doors.

He was able to find the proper ward easily enough and, after a bit more direction from another nurse, he soon found himself in the appropriate delivery room. Toshi looked up from where he lay in the hospital bed, strands of his messy golden hair sticking to his face from the sheet of sweat that already covered him, his chest rising and falling as his breathing came in heavy pants. Even through the pain that was clear on his face, the hero forced a shaky smile onto his face.

"H-hey, babe…" he greeted wearily as his partner rushed over to his side. Dave gently brushed the stray hair from Toshi's face, offering his other hand for him to hold. The hero immediately accepted the offer, prying his death grip from around the railing of the bed and clamping it down on his lover's hand instead. Dave winced at the sudden jolt of pain that shot up his arm, though he still managed to feel infinitely grateful that Toshi was still wearing that Quirk suppression band. Even so, with how hard the hero was squeezing already, he was pretty sure he wouldn't be leaving the hospital without that hand in a cast.

"About time you got here, boy. Doctor says it won't be too much longer."

Dave's attention was pulled away from Toshi briefly when he heard a gruff voice address him. He glanced up to spot Gran Torino standing at his student's other side, though his strong hand seemed to be withstanding the younger hero's grip far better than the scientist's own. At the mention of doctors, he became aware of others in the room. The familiar face of the red-haired doctor that had been tending to Toshi throughout his pregnancy smiled at him in greeting, a couple of nurses standing by to assist him as needed.

"Alright, Mr. Yagi, you're nearly fully dilated. Get ready to start pushing soon," the doctor announced gently from where he stood just past Toshi's spread legs. Dave could feel the pressure on his hand increase at that.

"F-fuck…" the hero groaned out in dread, his head falling back against his pillow to stare nervously up at the ceiling. Dave could feel his own heart pounding away in his chest in a strange mix of anxiety and anticipation, though he had enough presence of mind to stroke Toshi's shoulder gently.

"It'll be okay, Toshi. Just a little bit longer and it'll be all over…" he assured as best he could, though he wasn't sure how much it would help in the current situation. He'd watched as Toshi faced down the most formidable villains in the past, tackling devastating disasters head-on with an unflinching smile on his face. Never once in those two years had he seen the hero afraid at anything, but it was most certainly fear that he saw in those brave eyes now.

Then, as though realizing that Dave had taken notice, Toshi drew in a deep breath, forcing a smile across his face.

"M-mhmm… I got this… N-no big deal, right? Happens every day…" he mumbled to himself weakly between heavy breaths, trying his best to keep a brave face. Dave gave him a small smile of his own, giving his shoulder an encouraging pat.

"Yeah, you got this. Plus Ultra, right?"

That one managed to pull something akin to a chuckle from Toshi, but he couldn't maintain the good mood for long.

"Okay, I need you to push with the next contraction," the doctor ordered, sliding the bottom of the hero's hospital gown up towards his waist to get it out of the way. Dave could hear Toshi let out a small whimper at that, the encouragement he'd received just a moment ago seeming to waiver already. Gran Torino helped him to sit up a bit straighter, his arm bracing across the younger hero's back to keep him steady.

"O-okay, I got this… I-I got this…" Toshi chanted out under his breath in some sort of self-encouraging mantra. In the next moment, Dave watched as his partner's face contorted into one of agonizing effort, his teeth grit against what must have been incredible pain. The scientist had to resist the reflexive urge to shout out in pain himself, the pressure on his hand seeming to increase almost a hundredfold as the hero absentmindedly squeezed it with all his might.

"I don't got this, Dave! I don't got this!" Toshi practically sobbed out even as he continued to push, the tears that had been threatening to break at the corners of his eyes now flowing freely down his face. Dave wasn't sure what he could do to help as his partner let out a loud shout of agony, but as lost as he was he felt it was his duty to do _something._

"E-easy, Toshi! Just breathe! You can do this!" the scientist encouraged as best he could, trying and failing to hide the clear panic in his voice. It seemed to somehow do the trick, as in the next moment Toshi was clearly making a conscious effort to keep his breathing stable, though that didn't stop him from unleashing a string of Japanese that, judging from the shocked look on Gran Torino's face, was quite the vulgar outburst indeed. Dave was almost glad he couldn't understand it all.

This continued for quite a while – though for exactly how long was anyone's guess – but soon enough the medical staff crowded around the bed at the ready.

"Alright, Mr. Yagi, you're almost there! Keep pushing!" the doctor called out, holding his hands out to catch the baby at any moment. Dave's curiosity got the better of him in that moment, and he leaned over slightly to see what was happening. He was just able to see the top of the baby's head coming out, a thin layer of fine golden hair barely visible as it lay wetly against her scalp. Dave immediately straightened up again at the sight, his face flushing a deep red as he gave Toshi's shoulder an encouraging pat.

"Y-you're doing great, babe! J-just a little more!" he stammered out awkwardly, now doing his best not to imagine the pain that must have gone along with what he'd seen a moment ago.

Mercifully, in the next few minutes, a new cry pierced the air. Toshi collapsed back against the hospital bed, panting in utter exhaustion and mild relief now that the deed was done. His weary eyes drifted over towards Dave, a small flash of worry coming over them as though asking if everything was alright. The scientist couldn't help but flash a proud smile down at his partner, leaning down to plant a gentle kiss on the hero's forehead.

Once Toshi's pain started to die down a bit, he looked down, eyes clearly searching for something. Soon enough, the doctor could be seen passing a swaddled bundle off to the nurse at his side, who promptly moved over to the expectant hero's side, politely excusing herself as Gran Torino moved out of the way. The newborn infant was transferred gingerly into her mother's arms, where she lay still wailing against his chest at the ordeal she'd just been through. Toshi gently ran a broad hand up and down her back, and soon enough the baby quieted down, reduced to little more than soft whimpers within moments of being held like that.

"W-wow…" Toshi seemed to breathe out softly almost in awe, not wanting to speak too loudly now that she was starting to calm down a bit. "Sh-she really didn't feel this small a second ago…"

Dave couldn't help but chuckle lightly along with his partner at that, that proud smile still glued across his face upon finally seeing their daughter in the flesh for the first time. She did indeed look absolutely tiny compared to Toshi's giant form, one of his hands being enough to almost completely encapsulate her in her entirety. Even so, it wasn't because she was smaller than she should have been. The doctor had already reported that she was a healthy weight. Toshi was just that big.

"Do you wanna hold her?"

Dave was a little caught off guard by the question, having been content to just stand by and let his partner hold their daughter as long as he wanted. Toshi had already gingerly moved the infant over to the other side of his broad chest, flashing a bright smile up at him. The scientist couldn't resist the offer, reaching down to take the child, cradling her gently in his arms. She'd become completely calm by this point, snuggling sleepily against the fabric of her father's shirt.

"Have the two of you thought of a name for her yet?"

Dave felt a chill wash over him at the sudden question from one of the nurses. He knew it was a bog-standard question, the information needed for the birth certificate, but he was honestly embarrassed to admit that the two of them had never settled on a name before now. Sure, they'd talked about it, but—

"Melissa Shield."

His head snapped up when he heard that, immediately turning to look down at his partner in utter surprise.

"T-Toshi… Are you sure?" Dave asked hesitantly, to which the hero could only respond with a bright, happy grin.

"Of course! You seemed to really like that name, and it does seem perfect for her. Besides…" Toshi seemed to trail off a bit there at the end, his smile faltering ever so slightly. In the next moment, he seemed to have rethought what he wanted to say, his grin returning in full force once more. "It's… It's just a really good name!"


	8. Picture Perfect

Dave stared at himself in the mirror, comb still in hand, a dissatisfied look plastered across his face. He was never so amazed as he was just then at how Toshi managed to tame that wild mop of golden hair into his signature slick style, and in mere minutes every morning. The scientist didn't even have that much hair, especially since he got it cut, but it simply refused to settle into anything but a mess of wavy brown locks laying haphazardly over his head. He let out a sigh, finally giving up. He supposed he wasn't expected to look perfect in the photos they were going to be taking that day. Next week was another matter entirely, but he was sure he could enlist his partner's help when the time came for it.

In the next few moments, Dave made his way out of the bedroom towards the living room, an air of defeat following him out. He soon spotted the back of Toshi's head over the back of the couch, his bangs fixed up into their usual gravity-defying bunny-eared style. As he approached to see if the hero was ready to leave, he heard something that made him hesitate to call out to him.

"So baby dry your eyes, save all the tears you've cried. Oh, that's what dreams are made of. 'Cause we belong in a world that must be strong. Oh, that's what dreams are made of."

Dave couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face as he heard Toshi singing softly, seemingly to himself. He approached quietly, leaning over the back of the couch to plant a kiss on his lover's cheek. The hero stopped his singing abruptly, turning to flash a smile up at him, though the scientist could see the traces of mild embarrassment on his cheeks at being caught like that. Melissa lay cradled in her mother's strong arms, her bright blue eyes fixed up at him as though expecting him to continue his singing. She didn't seem to notice her father there just yet. Though, to be fair, she was still so young that she could hardly see anything further than a foot in front of her face.

"Are you seriously singing Van Halen to a baby?" Dave teased lightly, his smile only broadening as he watched his daughter suddenly look up in his general direction upon hearing his voice. Of course, though he was focused on the infant, that didn't mean the deepening rosy hue on Toshi's cheeks went beyond his notice.

"H-hey, I don't know any lullabies, okay? Besides, she loves that song! Look, she's super happy!"

Dave looked down at Melissa again, who had returned to staring up at Toshi as she gummed at one of her tiny fists. She was still far too young to really respond to anything with more than the occasional gurgle or coo, but even though she didn't know how to smile just yet it was quite clear that she was absolutely enraptured by every word coming out of her mother's mouth.

"She loves your _voice_ , Toshi. You could be singing _anything,_ and she wouldn't care as long as you're the one singing it." he responded with a light chuckle, to which Toshi couldn't help but flash a smirk.

"I'm still not hearing an argument against Van Halen."

Dave shook his head almost incredulously at that, giving the hero's shoulder a playful pat.

"Alright, alright, sing whatever you want. We gotta get going, though. If we're late, we might not get another opportunity like this."

Toshi's smile seemed to falter a bit at that, but he soon got up from where he sat on the couch and followed Dave over towards the door.

* * *

Once they'd arrived at their destination, Toshi couldn't stop looking around at everything with a glint of absolute wonder in his eyes. He'd known that there were plenty of big-name film studios in Los Angeles, but in the nearly six years he'd been there he'd never had the opportunity to visit one. Of course, he'd never really thought to before, but he'd developed something of a love for movies over the past several months of being stuck at home with nothing else to do, so perhaps now was the only time it would have really mattered to him.

But they weren't there for a tour. In fact, the studio was technically closed for the Thanksgiving holiday, only a few workers and security guards milling about. They would normally not be allowed there at all under such circumstances, but they happened to have a friend that could get them in. Speaking of whom…

"Hey, Dave! Toshi! Over here!"

The two of them looked up when they heard a female voice call out to them, her Australian accent immediately apparent even in so few words. They spotted her immediately; a tall blonde woman excitedly waving towards them from across the lot, a playful smile spread across her face. Next to her stood a somewhat husky man with a mutation-class Quirk that made his head look like that of a shark. He was considerably more reserved than his companion, smiling just enough that his menacingly sharp teeth didn't show.

"Oh, hi Jamie. Hello Mako," Dave greeted the woman and the man respectively as they made their way over. "Thanks for arranging all this for us. I still don't know how you managed to do it, but we really appreciate it."

"Don't worry about it! Besides, Mako here's the only one you should be thanking! He did all the work!" she replied, hugging her arms lovingly around the shark man's bicep at that last bit. Mako looked away somewhat bashfully, rubbing his free hand against the back of his neck. The two parents weren't as close to him as they were to his bubbly fiancé, but they'd hung out with him before and knew that his fearsome appearance was only skin deep. Furthermore, they knew he was a film production major at their college, and that he happened to have gotten an internship at that very film studio earlier in the year. In any case, these two were probably the only ones outside of Gran Torino and the medical staff in charge of their daughter's delivery that knew of their situation.

Not content to focus on one thing for too long, Jamie soon peeked around Dave's shoulder, her eyes practically sparkling when she spotted the tiny bundle in Toshi's arms. The squeal she let out would have made dogs for miles whimper in pain, so it was somewhat surprising that the infant it was directed at didn't immediately start crying.

"Omigosh, is that her?! She's so cute!" she cooed out, rushing over to fawn over the baby. Melissa's arms wiggled out wildly for a moment before she tucked them in close to her body, staring with wide eyes at the strange woman that was suddenly in her face. After a moment of what appeared to be confusion she finally decided on how she wanted to react to such a scare, her face scrunching up unhappily as she began to cry.

"S-sorry! Guess I got a little excited…" Jamie apologized meekly, taking a step back to keep from upsetting her anymore. Toshi merely flashed his friend a weak smile as he held Melissa against his chest, rubbing her back gently in an effort to calm her.

"It's alright, she's just not used to meeting new people yet. I'm sure she'll warm up to you in no time."

After that less-than-smooth introduction, the lot of them proceeded to the reason they'd gathered there in the first place. Mako led them through the grounds until they reached one of the many large studios, and once he unlocked the door and turned on the lights they found themselves on the set of what looked like a hospital drama, a perfect mock-up of a hospital room being the central feature of the stage.

Though Melissa had stopped crying by that point, Toshi couldn't quite maintain his usual smile. He knew what they were doing here was necessary to keep the girl safe in the future, but it still left a bad taste in his mouth. Still, there was no time for him to mull over his reservations. They had to do this while Melissa was still small enough to pass for a newborn.

"Whaddaya think, fellas? Am I ready for my Hollywood debut?"

The hero looked up when he heard Jamie's chipper voice call out across the set. She'd changed her top out for a hospital gown, her hair pulled up into a messy up-do. She more or less skipped her way over to the hospital bed and plopped herself on the surface, pulling the covers up over the lower half of her body before holding her arms out expectantly.

"Alrighty! Come to mama!"

Toshi flinched visibly at that, his arms reflexively – almost defensively – holding Melissa a little closer to his body. He almost immediately felt ashamed of himself. What the hell was he doing? They were only pictures, a lie to keep the truth hidden. He knew what was real, so why did he feel this way all of a sudden?

"Toshi? Are you okay?"

He glanced down when he heard his name being called, meeting the concerned eyes of Dave. The hero merely flashed him a smile that would fool anyone but him.

"I'm fine. Here…" he replied, cradling their daughter carefully in his hands as he passed her off to her father. It was easier giving her to Dave, at least. Of course, that didn't stop the pain in his heart from coming back with a vengeance the moment he saw Melissa being handed over to Jamie.

And what exactly was he feeling? His first instinct was to call it jealousy, but there was more to it than that. Seeing Dave there with someone else, _his_ daughter held in her arms like she belonged to her, all looking like the perfect family… It felt like he was watching as everything he truly cared about was being ripped from his grasp. His hands clenched into tight fists at his sides, and it took all his willpower to resist rushing forward and childishly snatching his baby back.

"You sure you're alright, mate?" came Mako's rumbling bass voice from just next to him. Toshi looked over, but the shark man was focused on looking through the viewfinder of his camera as he snapped a few pictures. Even so – and even though it was quite hard to read anything on such an inhuman face – the hero could tell that he was feeling something similar to him at seeing his fiancé with someone else's family.

Before either of them could mire themselves too deeply into the jealous boyfriend corner, Toshi just barely picked up on the familiar sound of an infant's unhappy whining. He looked back over towards Melissa, watching as she squirmed a bit in Jamie's arms, her little face nuzzling almost searchingly against the woman's chest.

"Uhh… What's she doing?" Jamie asked, tilting her head to one side with an utterly confused look on her face. Toshi could feel his cheeks heat up as he instantly recognized the behavior, though he wasn't going to turn down an excuse to bring an early end to the photo shoot.

"Sorry, she's, uhhh… She's just hungry…" he explained somewhat bashfully as he stepped forward to gingerly take Melissa back into his arms. He then excused himself from the stage, escaping off into some quiet corner of the set. Once he was assured some measure of privacy he took a seat in one of the many chairs scattered about, lifting his shirt up just far enough to expose one side of his chest. The infant didn't need much coaxing to latch onto her mother, immediately falling into content silence as she began to feed.

Toshi let out a small sigh as he allowed himself to relax a bit, gently stroking his daughter's back as she gave a contented hum against his chest. Now that everything was in its rightful place, he really did feel guilty for getting so jealous over Jamie holding Melissa and posing for those pictures with Dave. She was a good friend, and she was doing all this to help them. Then again, it hadn't quite been two months since he had the baby. Perhaps he was still being affected by lingering hormones? Yeah, that had to be it. Surely he won't be quite this clingy when it came time for him to…

* * *

The day was far from over after they left the film studio. They hardly had enough time to get back to their apartment and for Toshi to get changed into his hero costume before they were expected at the hero college section of their university. Gran Torino was already waiting for them, donned in his own hero suit of white and gold, standing in the middle of the massive indoor training ground that rivaled the facilities found at U.A. High back in Japan.

Toshi had been given a few weeks to recover after giving birth, but after that his teacher had been predictably merciless. The first session back to training was particularly brutal, the elder hero not pulling any punches despite his student's weakened condition. Of course, today didn't feel too much better, especially since Toshi soon found himself on his hands and knees, puking up the contents of his stomach after a particularly devastating punch to the gut.

"/On your feet, Toshinori!/" Gran Torino barked out as he marched over to where the younger hero was attempting to catch his breath. "/You should've been back to your old self by now. Don't tell me you've gotten this goddamned soft in just a year…/"

Before Toshi could gather enough composure to respond, the older hero planted a heel firmly on the back of his student's head, activating his jets to send Toshi's face slamming into the rocky ground below.

"H-hey, c'mon! There's no need to be that rough with him!" Dave shouted out from the stands that lined one side of the arena-like training facility, unable to watch the display for much longer.

"Quit your bitchin', kid! He's fine!" Gran Torino shouted up to the stands, hardly glancing up towards the scientist before turning his attention back towards his student. Toshi still had his face buried against the dirt, but the way his body trembled lightly suggested he wasn't unconscious. The older hero narrowed his eyes down at the younger man, switching back to their usual Japanese.

"/Don't tell me you're holding back on purpose…/" he growled out, leaning down to grab a fistful of golden hair. When he lifted the young hero up to his knees, he was not at all surprised to find that his dirt-stained face was streaked with conflicted tears. Gran Torino let out a scoff. "/Did you think you'd be able to stay longer if you delayed your progress? The monster that killed your master isn't going to wait around while you sit over here playing house!/"

With that, a fist was driven squarely against Toshi's jaw, sending him flying backwards a short distance. He managed to stay somewhat upright this time, a hand clawing against the ground to slow himself to a stop.

"/That kid was clearly a mistake. You'd be a pro hero back in Japan right now if it wasn't for her./"

"/Sh-shut up…/" Toshi retorted finally, stumbling a bit to keep himself upright.

"/You were an idiot to keep her. You should have gotten rid of her as soon as you found out you were pregnant!/"

"/ _I said shut up!_ /"

What happened next was far too fast for the average human eye to follow. The grounds seemed to explode into a cloud of dust and debris, and when it cleared one could see where Gran Torino had been tackled against the side of one of the mock mountains, his back pressed into the epicenter of a sizeable crater. Toshi's hand was clamped tightly around his teacher's throat, his other pulled back into a menacing fist.

"/Say one more fucking word about her and I swear to God I'll—!/"

Toshi managed to stop himself there, before he made a threat he wouldn't want to follow through with, before he did something he would regret. Gran Torino, though he was clearly bruised by the younger hero's initial outburst of anger, managed to give his student a small smirk.

"/J-just trying to light that fire in you again, boy…/"

Toshi pulled his hand away from where it was wrapped around the elder hero's neck, letting him collapse onto the ground below.

"/Look… I ain't got nothing against your kid, Toshinori…/" Gran Torino wheezed out, rubbing a hand against his throat as he tried to get some wind back in him. "/But you saw how easy I was able to get under your skin. Like it or not, Melissa's your biggest weakness now. Any villain with a grudge against you would sooner strike at her than fight you directly if they ever found out her relation to you. That David boy's the same way. I know you love them… But if you're serious about keeping them safe, you gotta let 'em go./"

Toshi didn't reply to that. Actually, it looked like he couldn't. He stared in Gran Torino's direction, but his eyes didn't focus on him, his mind seemingly torn in a million different directions at once. The old hero let out a sigh, settling himself into a more comfortable sitting position and waving his student over.

"/Alright, I know you got a lot on your mind right now, so I'm gonna cut you some slack this once. No point in training if you're just gonna mentally check out on me./"

The younger hero hesitated at first, suspecting that the offer to take a break was some sort of trick, but he eventually cast his suspicions aside and sat down next to his teacher, uttering a barely audible "/Sorry…/"

"/It happens. It happens to a lot of heroes, actually. The only difference is other heroes don't have to face someone like All for One on top of all their other normal life drama. I don't envy your position, Toshinori, but... I know you can get through it. Besides…/" Gran Torino paused, taking a moment to dig his phone out of one of the pouches on his belt. "/Just because you gotta keep the truth from the world doesn't mean you can't keep them in your mind for yourself./"

Toshi was a little caught off guard when his teacher passed him his phone, but the picture it displayed practically made his heart stop. It was taken the day Melissa was born, at the moment when he'd gotten to hold her for the first time. He hadn't even noticed at the time that Gran Torino had taken such a photo.

The younger hero's vision soon became too blurry for him to keep the picture in focus, and he was forced to bury his face in his hands to try in vain to keep his tears at bay.


	9. Merry Memories

"C'mon, Toshi, how long does it take to dress a baby? All of her clothes literally come in one piece."

Toshi looked up from his task just long enough to glance over his shoulder towards the closed bedroom door, making sure his partner didn't peek in before he was done.

"Just a minute, babe! You can't rush art!" he called back, a mischievous grin plastered across his face. He then turned back to the task at hand, his grin widening further as he met an infant's bright blue stare. Melissa wiggled around excitedly on the bed with what limited coordination her little body could muster, a smile that tried to echo that of her mother spreading across her face.

"C'mon, baby girl, sit still for Daddy. I'm almost done," he mumbled softly as he continued to fuss with her soft golden hair. She didn't comply with his request, of course, but somehow he couldn't even think to get annoyed as he watched her waving her arms and kicking her little legs out excitedly, a stream of incoherent baby babble flowing endlessly from her mouth. Toshi couldn't help but give her a chuckle.

"That's right, you're gonna look fabulous as hell!" he replied, pausing in his task to lean over and nuzzle his face against her, blowing soft raspberries against her belly. Melissa let out a delighted squeal, her tiny hands clamping around his pristinely styled bangs. He gently took hold of her hands once he relented, his hair slipping through her grasp to fall limply over his eyes as he pulled away. With nothing left to hold, she took to grabbing onto his thumbs, her hands barely big enough to wrap halfway around.

It was several minutes later when Toshi finally emerged from the bedroom, causing Dave to look up from where he'd settled himself to wait on the couch. The hero wore a rather pleased-with-himself smirk across his face, the cape of his hero costume wrapped around himself to hide what he carried in his arms.

"Fear not, good citizens! Dastardly villains will plague your city streets no longer! Why, you ask?" he announced in his boisterous heroic voice, throwing open his cape to reveal the tiny 'hero' he held cradled in his arm. "Because Might Girl is here!"

Dave couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face when he saw their daughter. Melissa was dressed in the onesie he'd given to Toshi for his birthday, the one that was styled to look like his own hero costume. She'd only just grown big enough to wear it, and her mother had been quite eager to put it on her. So eager, it seemed, that he'd even taken the time to style her wispy hair to look vaguely like his own signature hair-do. Melissa let out another happy squeal at spotting her father halfway across the room, reaching out to make grabby hands in his general direction.

"Well, look at you! All ready to head out and fight bad-guys, huh?" Dave asked with a grin as the infant was passed over the back of the couch into his arms. He sat her down on his lap, a hand held against her back under her little cape to steady her. As he watched her bouncing excitedly in his grasp, a happy smile still fixed across her face, he couldn't help but be amazed at how much she looked like Toshi, especially wearing that costume.

Of course, it wasn't long before the child's attention was diverted elsewhere. Toshi had circled around into the living room, bending down in front of the small Christmas tree that he and Dave had finally finished decorating earlier that day. Christmas Eve was a little late to have gotten it all done, but they supposed it was better late than never. They'd been a bit distracted by more important matters, after all. After fumbling with the plug for a moment, the tree suddenly lit up with an array of colorful twinkling lights. Melissa's eyes widened instantly at the sight, reaching her little hands out as though trying to beckon the magical lights towards her from across the room.

"Sorry, kiddo, those aren't for playing with," Toshi said with an amused chuckle as he settled himself next to where Dave sat on the couch. "But I've got something you _can_ play with!"

With that, the hero held out something he'd grabbed from under the tree. It was a small stuffed rabbit toy, a red and green striped ribbon tied around its neck in a bow. Melissa's eyes lit up at the sight of it, reaching out to grab at its soft fluff. Of course, the instant it was in her grasp, the tip of one of those ears went right into her mouth.

"I guess she likes it. Though, speaking of presents…" Dave trailed off a bit there, flashing his partner a small smirk with that last bit. Toshi could only stare down at him in confusion until the scientist pointed back towards their bedroom door. "I think you owe me a little something."

Toshi traced the path of his partner's finger, at first confused at what he could mean. Then, he spotted it; hanging above the door where he was standing a moment ago was a small bundle of twigs covered in round leaves and white berries, all tied together with a thin red ribbon. It was mistletoe. The hero couldn't stop the wide grin that spread across his face at the realization.

"You sneaky devil, you! Are you sure you're not a villain, setting such a trap for me?" he teased lightly, though he didn't hesitate to close the distance between the two of them and press his lips against Dave's own. The scientist let out a contented hum against his lover's mouth, his free hand moving up to gently caress the hero's cheek while his other held their daughter close between them. Toshi only broke away from the kiss when he felt a small tug on the front of his hero costume. He glanced down to find Melissa staring up at the both of them, babbling wordlessly up at her parents.

"Oh? What's that, sweetie? Your Papa's forgotten something, you say?" Toshi asked rhetorically, pretending to listen closely as she 'told' him all about it. Suddenly, he let out an exaggerated gasp, holding his hands against his cheeks in a look of mock horror. "Oh my goodness, you're absolutely right! How could he have overlooked such an important detail?! Truly, your father must be the most evil of villains!"

"Alright, what are you on about now?" Dave asked finally, cocking an eyebrow at his partner's over-the-top dramatics. In the next moment, he found that Melissa had been picked up and was now held up near his face. He glanced past her to see Toshi beaming that usual smile at him.

"I think you owe someone _else_ a kiss! She was under the mistletoe too!"

Dave let out an amused laugh at that.

"Of course! How could I have forgotten?" he replied, making sure to remove his glasses before he got his face too much closer to the infant – a lesson he'd learned good and well with his original pair several days prior. He then planted a soft kiss on Melissa's cheek, eliciting something that almost sounded like a proper giggle from her. She was trying, at least.

* * *

It wasn't long into the evening when the apartment door swung open, a not entirely jolly figure making his way inside. Toshi looked back with no shortage of amusement on his face as he watched Gran Torino trudge over towards the living room, his Santa Claus suit a little worse for wear. The elder hero's eyes narrowed in his student's direction, ripping off the fake white beard he'd worn strapped to his face and throwing it at the younger hero. Toshi managed to catch it without trouble, watching as his teacher wandered into the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee.

"So, uhh… How'd it go? Did you have fun, at least?" he asked, which earned him an immediate death-glare from the grizzled old hero.

"Kid, I don't know how you can stand having all those damn brats swarm you all night. This is the last time I offer to take your place in one of these exhausting charity gigs of yours…"

"Y-yeah, sorry…" Toshi replied, shrinking back apologetically. "I volunteered at that hospital every year since I came over here, and they just sort of assumed I'd be back again when they heard I was staying an extra year. I couldn't really say no to those kids… But I appreciate you going for me. You didn't have to do that."

To that, Gran Torino merely let out a sigh.

"Well, it'd be a shame for you to miss your daughter's first Christmas, so… You're welcome, I guess."

The old hero soon made his way into the living room, at which point he was greeted by the delighted babbling and grabby hands of Melissa. Even the hardened old fighter couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from raising slightly when he looked her way, his eyes drifting down to the stuffed rabbit lying next to her on her father's leg.

"I see you couldn't wait to give her present to her. You never were a patient one."

"H-hey, c'mon… If I hadn't, she'd be whining to get her hands on the tree lights and we wouldn't hear the end of it…"

"So, what you're saying is we need to work on your willpower again," Gran Torino teased lightly with a smirk, clearly enjoying himself as he watched Toshi shrink further in his seat. He decided to have mercy on the young hero for now, setting his mug down on the coffee table and bending down to reach under the tree.

"Well, since you're so eager, you two may as well go ahead and open your presents now," he said, sliding two wrapped gifts across the table towards them. The two younger adults looked down at the packages in mild surprise.

"Woah, these are for us?" Toshi exclaimed, picking up the present that was placed in front of him and shaking it curiously next to his ear. Dave looked on for a moment, his hands a bit too preoccupied to go after his own gift. The problem was resolved a moment later, Gran Torino coming over to take Melissa from him for a while. The scientist gave the older man a small nod of thanks before grabbing his present off the coffee table.

When Toshi and Dave finally opened their gifts, they found that they'd both been given the same thing. They each held in their hands a small photo album, and a quick flip through revealed that several pages had already been filled. There were a few pictures from when they were in college together, some taken at parties or events by friends and classmates, though one or two were stupid selfies of the two of them that had clearly been pilfered from Toshi's phone. Surprisingly enough, a few of them were taken while Toshi was still pregnant, clearly snuck by Dave or Gran Torino himself when he wasn't paying attention. The rest were photos of them and Melissa, including the one of Toshi holding her the day she was born.

Dave couldn't help but smile to himself as he looked through the photos. He remembered Gran Torino had asked him to send him some nice pictures of the two of them, but he hadn't expected the old hero to do something like this with them. There were even a few he could have only gotten from Mako, most notable of which being the one taken while they were faking Dave's wedding photos. It was of himself and Toshi, still dressed up in their tuxedoes, embracing each other and kissing as though they'd been the ones getting married that day.

Soon enough, Dave's attention was pulled away when he heard a distinct sniffling sound just next to him. He wasn't at all surprised to look up and find that Toshi was struggling to see his own photo album through watery eyes, his tears threatening to drip down his cheeks to stain the pages below.

"S-Sensei…" the hero choked out, attempting to wipe the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Oh, for the love of… Enough with the waterworks, Toshinori! What kind of Symbol of Peace are you going to be if you're such a damned crybaby all the time?" Gran Torino scolded, though it was hard to be intimidated while he was still dressed in that Santa Claus suit, the fluffy white trim of which was currently being gummed at and drooled upon by the infant he held in his arms.

Dave wasn't about to interrupt his partner, though. He knew how much having those pictures meant to Toshi, and how much more it would mean to both of them when he would eventually return to Japan. The thought of such an event, though it normally mired him in sorrow and dread, now seemed to fill him with determination. He wondered if they could take enough pictures and create enough memories to fill the rest of those photo albums before their time together inevitably came to a close.


	10. Time and Change

The drive to LAX, though it normally felt long and torturous through all the Los Angeles traffic, seemed mercilessly short that day. Dave found himself constantly peeking at the rear-view mirror, not to check the traffic behind him but to peek in on how Toshi was faring. The hero had volunteered to sit in the back, wanting to spend as much time as possible with Melissa before they got to the airport. An endless stream of an infant's giggling could be heard emanating from the back seat, all the while her mother was busy making funny faces at her to keep her spirits up. Dave let a bittersweet smile spread across his lips at seeing how hard his partner was trying to keep it together for their daughter's sake, though he knew how much it must have been killing him to keep it all inside.

No one spoke for the entire drive. There was no need. They'd said all they needed to say in the days leading up to this. Anything else would have just opened up wounds that hadn't really had the chance to start healing yet. Even so, as Toshi and Gran Torino retrieved their luggage from the trunk, Dave worked to unhook Melissa from her car seat, fully intending to follow the heroes into the airport for as far as he was allowed to.

Inevitably, the group found themselves hesitating before the security gate, the furthest area Dave would be allowed without a ticket of his own. He and Toshi stood there next to each other for a long while, neither looking at one another, neither willing to be the one to start saying goodbye. Finally, the scientist heard the sound of his partner drawing in a deep breath. He looked up to find that Toshi had forced a wide grin onto his face, though he was clearly struggling to maintain even that much.

"A-alright dude, It's been fun," the hero attempted casually, though Dave could see the corners of his smile waiver already. He could see what Toshi was trying to do. He was trying to put on a brave face just like he did in his hero work, smiling brightly to assure those around him that everything was okay when it clearly wasn't. Dave could see past the façade, though. He could see how much it hurt him to leave like this, how much he just wanted to break down and scream and cry and tell every villain in the world to fuck off so he could stay there with his family.

"Y-yeah…" the scientist replied meekly, unable to muster quite the same energy as his partner. They might have been able to get away with just leaving it at that had they been there by themselves, but it seemed they wouldn't be allowed to make this easy.

Melissa seemed to have taken notice of her parents' dour mood, which almost instantly made her very anxious. She let out an unhappy whine, reaching her hands out towards her mother, clearly wanting him to hold her. Dave could see as Toshi's body tensed up immediately, his eyes starting to well up with tears even as he tried his best to avoid looking at her. When her whining shifted into full on crying, the hero was practically shaking from the effort it took to hold his emotions inside. Soon enough, it became too much for him to bear. In the next moment, Dave felt himself pulled in close against his lover's body, strong arms trembling as they wrapped around his shoulders, Melissa's crying beginning to calm as she found herself nestled gently between her parents.

Toshi couldn't manage to get out any coherent words, all of his energy taken up by the tremendous task of keeping himself from sobbing aloud for the whole airport to hear. He didn't really need to say anything. Dave understood all too well what he was feeling. Neither of them wanted this to be the end, but the world wasn't going to give them any more breaks.

* * *

"Papa..?"

Dave awoke with a start when his young daughter's soft voice finally penetrated his consciousness, his head lifting sharply from where he had it resting against the surface of his work table. He glanced around, a little confused at waking up in his lab and not in his bed.

"Oh… Oh crap! When did I…" the scientist mumbled in a mild panic as he glanced over at his cluttered computer screen, taking notice of the time once he got his glasses back on his face. Shit, it was almost time for _him_ to get there, and he still hadn't finished the final checks on his suit.

"Are you doing research for support items again? Seems hard…"

"Ah, yeah…" Dave replied, already so engrossed in his inspection of a large yellow vambrace that Melissa's question almost didn't register to him.

"Did you ever want to be a hero before?"

Dave was a bit caught off guard by the sudden change in subject. He glanced down towards the seven-year-old, those bright blue eyes staring up at him expectantly from behind her own glasses. He let out a small sigh to himself. She'd clearly been thinking about her lack of a Quirk again. He really did feel awful that she ended up Quirkless, like it was somehow his fault. She'd wanted to be a hero practically since the moment she could understand the concept, and he could see the same drive and eagerness in her eyes that he'd seen in her mother all those years ago. She'd clearly gotten that from Toshi. It was just a shame she hadn't inherited his amazing Quirk to match.

"I never really thought of it," he replied finally, giving her a gentle smile. "It would be quite difficult with my Quirk…"

It wasn't a lie. He'd never even considered becoming a hero himself, even when he was a young kid like her. He's always been far better suited to sidekick work. Although… He had to admit, the one hero he desperately wished to stand alongside was…

"I am here, at the Hero Maintenance Department!"

Dave's heart skipped a beat as the boisterous, heroic voice suddenly echoed throughout the lab. He practically leaped up out of his chair, an elated grin already plastered across his face as he turned to greet his old lover.

Toshi – no… _All Might_ stood in the doorway to his lab, that shining grin ever present on his face. It had been years since they'd seen each other face to face like this – seven years, to be exact – and though Dave had obviously seen pictures of his partner in the interim, he was still stunned to see how much he'd changed since they'd parted ways. He'd somehow become even more buff than he'd been back in college, and he'd already seemed so huge back then. That wasn't the only thing that had changed, though. Hero work and the passage of time had chiseled away at his youthful good looks, giving him a more mature sort of handsomeness but severely deepening the shadows of his face.

Of course, it didn't take long for a certain someone to catch the hero's eye. As different as he may have looked, Dave could clearly see how All Might's face lit up with joy at seeing their daughter in person for the first time since she was a tiny baby. He couldn't help but approach her immediately, though he seemed just barely able to restrain himself from picking her up and hugging her close like he clearly wanted to.

"Oh! You're Melissa, right? You've grown!"

Much to Dave's horror, Melissa seemed almost terrified at the man suddenly towering over her, taking a hasty step back away from him.

"Wh-who are you?" she stammered out, and Dave could practically see that question stab All Might right through the heart. He couldn't imagine how that must have felt – to have your own daughter treat you like a complete stranger. He stepped forward, hoping to keep the interaction from devolving any further.

"Toshi!" he called out, at which point his old partner turned his eternal grin towards him.

"Ah, Dave! It's been a while!" All Might replied with genuine enthusiasm, though he was sure there was more he wanted to say, more he wanted to do to express how happy he was to see him again. They couldn't, though. Not in front of Melissa. Not while she was still under the impression that her mother was long dead and not the hero standing before her just then. No, as much as they would have loved to hold each other in a close embrace, they had to keep this professional.

"Papa, who's this..?"

Dave couldn't help but flinch lightly as Melissa asked that question again. He wanted so badly to tell her the truth, that All Might was her real mother, that he loved her dearly even though he couldn't be in her life… But he knew he couldn't. Everything they'd done to keep her safe, all those years of desperately longing for someone half a world away… It would all be for nothing if he gave in and told her now. No, he would heed his lover's warning. Their deception was a painful one, but it was a necessary lie.

"I'm All Might!" the towering hero replied in the scientist's stead. "I'm a professional hero from Japan!"

"He's… An old friend of mine," Dave added finally, though it felt like a betrayal to refer to All Might as nothing more than a friend. "I made his hero costume years ago."

"That's right! Speaking of which, how's the new suit coming along?"

"Oh, I've just finished it, actually," Dave replied with a start, suddenly remembering why his old partner had come all the way to America in the first place. He stepped away for a moment, retrieving a folded piece of deceptively thin-looking material and handing it over to the hero. "Here, go try it on. I want to make sure it fits you properly, since I didn't have you here to refine the sizing."

"I'm sure it's just as perfect as everything else you've made!" All Might assured with a grin, accepting the suit he was given and turning away to go change. Before he could get too far, however…

"/I'm… I'm sorry, Toshi…/"

All Might stopped in his tracks, glancing back towards Dave with a look of mild surprise on his face. The hero had known that he'd been learning Japanese in what little spare time he had, and they'd even exchanged a few emails in the language, but this was the first time he'd heard him speak it.

"/For what? You didn't do anything wrong./"

Dave's eyes drifted momentarily towards Melissa, who'd taken to hiding behind a padded railing just across the lab from them, staring on with an unsure look on her face.

"/It's what I _didn't_ do that was wrong… I should have told her about you. Not what you really are to her, of course, but… Just you in general. Maybe if I'd shown her videos of you from your hero work, or even if I just told her you were coming, she wouldn't be so…/"

"/Scared of me?/" All Might finished the scientist's sentence when he seemed unable to complete it on his own. "/It's alright, Dave. If I was her age and some giant stranger came up to me like that, I'd be scared, too!/"

Dave shook his head even as the hero let out a good-natured chuckle.

"/But she _shouldn't_ be! For God's sake, Toshi, you're her—/"

"/Uncle./"

Dave was a little taken aback by the preemptive correction, staring up at his old partner. All Might still had that grin spread across his face, but he knew him well enough to know that he wasn't really smiling.

"/Tell her whatever you want about me, answer any questions she might have, but as for relation… We're just going to have to settle for Uncle Might./"

Dave could feel his hands ball up into fists at his side, his glasses starting to fog up on him despite himself. It was just so unfair! They were all together again, albeit momentarily, but even though they were far from any prying eyes they still couldn't even _act_ like a family.

Before he could spiral any further into his own thoughts, the scientist felt a strong hand come to rest on his shoulder. He looked up to find All Might standing over him, his broad, muscular body positioned just so as to hide how upset he was getting from Melissa's view.

"/C'mon, babe, not in front of the kid…/" he whispered gently, almost teasingly, like the way he used to speak to him back in their college days. Dave took the opportunity to push his glasses up to his forehead to wipe away the tears that had begun to gather his eyes, taking in a deep breath to try to compose himself while he was still hidden from their daughter's line of sight.

"/Y-yeah…/"

* * *

It would be another decade before the two of them would meet face to face once more, and it was almost unbelievable how much would change in those ten years. Melissa had grown into a beautiful young woman and a brilliant inventor with a promising career ahead of her – everything her parents had hoped for her. Her parents themselves, however…

The moment the door to the lab had closed, Melissa, Midoriya, and Sam all having left the two of them alone, Dave watched in utter horror as All Might collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, his heroic musclebound form withering away right before his eyes. What remained of his lover was a sickly skeleton of a man, blood dripping in a thin stream down his slender forearm as he coughed raggedly into his palm. Once the coughing subsided, All Might looked up at the scientist, his bright blue irises staring almost apologetically from his sunken, shadowy eyes.

"Thanks… The amount of time I can remain in my muscle form has gotten even shorter…" the old hero explained weakly as Dave knelt down in front of him and braced his shoulder with a stabilizing hand.

Dave wasn't sure how to reply to that, still in too much shock at the other man's appearance to formulate a response. He'd been told of All Might's injuries after his battle with All for One – whom he'd also finally been told of. He knew what little remained of the old hero's lungs were a mangled mess, and that he'd completely lost his stomach, but… He never expected him to have wasted away so severely. The seemingly unbreakable body Toshi had worked so hard to build up, those chiseled muscles that were so strong one could be forgiven for thinking he could shoulder the burdens of the entire world… All gone because of one single battle. Because of one villain.

Before any more could be said, Dave couldn't stop himself from wrapping his arms around the emaciated hero and pulling him close. A cold chill washed over him as he felt every bone in All Might's body even through his hero costume – with the noted exception of several ribs on his left side. He ran his fingers gingerly up his lover's back, feeling every ridge of every vertebra in his spine. He kept his touches light, as though he was afraid the man would shatter like glass if he pressed too hard. He just seemed so… _Fragile_.

"Dave…" All Might whispered out, wrapping his lanky arms around the scientist's torso in an effort to comfort him, but feeling those twig-like limbs around him only served to emphasize how drastically those injuries and all those surgeries had changed the hero.

He couldn't reply. All he could do was wonder at what he could have possibly done to prevent such a thing from happening. Could he have fought harder to keep Toshi there with him in America? Would he have been able to sway him if he was just a little bit stronger in his insistence? Somehow he doubted it, but the thoughts of 'what if' were sure to plague him for the rest of his life.

Suddenly, Dave pulled his lover a bit closer, burying his face against his bony shoulder. No, there was nothing he could do to change the past, no matter how much he desperately wanted to.

… But perhaps he could still do something to fix it.


	11. To Those Who Wait

And with that, All Might's tale came to a close. He'd obviously not told them everything, having left out the intimate details and sticking only to what the two teens needed to know. Melissa and Midoriya stared on even as the story ended, though the old hero wasn't quite able to gauge their thoughts from their expressions alone. He let out a sigh, hanging his head a bit.

"Melissa, I… I'm sorry we had to keep this from you for so long. You have no idea how much your father and I wanted to tell you the truth, but…"

To that, Melissa shook her head, a gentle smile appearing on her lips.

"No, I understand. You were just trying to protect me from that villain, right? The one that did _this_ to you…" she replied, her expression growing more somber as she referred to All Might's broken, emaciated body.

"Yes… Though it seems like our efforts weren't entirely effective. That bastard had his hand in what happened here at the expo. I'm not saying that to try to excuse what Dave did, because it was wrong, but… There might not have been so much damage done if _he_ hadn't been involved."

"B-but… what now?" Midoriya chimed in anxiously. "Now that Melissa knows, won't she be in more danger? What do we do?"

All Might gave the boy a reassuring smile.

"We do what we always do with this sort of thing, Young Midoriya; we keep it our little secret," he replied, holding a finger up coyly in front of his lips. His attention then shifted back to his daughter. "Honestly, this was probably the best time for you to find out. You're old enough now that you can appreciate the gravity of the situation, and the events of the expo served as a perfect demonstration of what happens to those close to me. After all this, I don't think I have to worry about you going around bragging about how you're All Might's daughter."

"I'll admit it's pretty tempting, but you're right. I don't want you to have to worry about my safety on top of everything else," Melissa replied with a small chuckle, to which All Might couldn't help but smile warmly.

"I don't think there's anything that would make me stop worrying about you," he replied, painfully aware that he'd been told that very thing by the girl's father back before she was born.

Before they could discuss anything further, All Might felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He and Midoriya pulled their phones out practically at the same time, the boy having gotten the same notification as him. It was a reminder they'd set to ensure they got back to the airport on time. He let out a sigh. He really wished he could stay and talk longer, but…

"Looks like we've really got to go this time, my boy…" he announced with clear resignation, pushing himself up to his feet with a small grunt of discomfort. He was still pretty sore from his fight with Wolfram, after all. Before he even thought to leave, however, he retrieved his suitcase and propped it up against the couch. Both Melissa and Midoriya watched with no shortage of curiosity as All Might opened up his carefully packed luggage, reaching in to retrieve something that had been rather deliberately tucked away in a secure, hidden place.

When the old hero turned back towards the two teens, he held in his hands a photo album that was well worn from age and regular handling, the leather of the cover cracked and faded. His hands seemed to grasp it tightly for a moment as though he was reluctant to let it out of his possession, but he eventually held it out towards his daughter.

"Here. I've had this practically since you were born, but… I think it would be better if you had it now."

Melissa took the old photo album carefully from her mother's hands, holding it gently as though afraid it may fall apart if she was too rough with it. As she flipped it open, All Might was not at all surprised to find his young successor peeking eagerly over the girl's arm, his fanboyism kicking into high gear at the prospect of seeing what had to be the rarest pictures of his idol in the world. He didn't mind if Midoriya saw them. The boy was family to him at this point.

The two teens flipped through pages that had clearly been handled almost daily for nearly two decades, looking over all the pictures that Gran Torino had included when he'd first put the album together. There was a very clear transition point where All Might himself suddenly stopped appearing in the photos, the last half of the album consisting almost exclusively of Melissa and Dave, pictures that the girl's father had sent him throughout the years.

"A-are you sure it's okay for me to keep these?" Melissa asked finally, looking up at the old hero after she'd gotten through the pictures she'd never seen before. He merely replied with a gentle smile.

"I'm sure. I've looked at those old pictures so much that they're practically burned into my mind. They're probably my most treasured possessions, but… That's why I want you to have them."

Melissa stared down at the photo album for another long moment, and All Might couldn't help but flinch slightly when he noticed the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes behind her glasses. Oh no, please don't let her start crying! He wasn't sure he could keep himself from breaking down into tears himself if he had to see her cry right there in front of him.

She set the photo album down on the couch before running over to her mother, wrapping her arms around his narrow torso and burying her face against his shirt. He instinctively returned the gesture, hugging her close.

"Thank you so much for everything, Unc—" Melissa cut herself off abruptly before finishing, quickly correcting with a soft, "I mean… _Dad_."

All Might could feel his heart flutter in his chest at hearing that single word, his eyes almost immediately filling to the breaking point with happy tears. No, he wasn't going to cry. He promised himself he wasn't going to cry! Of course, though he was not nearly so much of a crybaby as he had been in his younger days, finally hearing his daughter call him 'Dad' after seventeen years was more than he could handle. So yes, despite himself, he _was_ going to cry that day.

* * *

All Might had to take a moment to compose himself before they left the hotel room, but they couldn't afford to linger any longer. The two heroes said their last goodbyes to Melissa, letting her leave first before the older hero finally shifted back into his muscle form. As they made their way down the hall, however, All Might suddenly came to an abrupt halt after taking just a few steps away from their suite.

"Uhhh… All Might? Is everything okay?" Midoriya asked, a tone of mild concern in his voice as he looked up towards his mentor. The old hero stood frozen there, his smile strained, staring at the wall with wide eyes. This of course confused the hell out of the teen… until he traced his teacher's gaze and saw what it was that had caught his eye. It was barely noticeable at all – in fact, Midoriya was quite impressed that All Might had seen it at all in passing – but there was a very small, very distinct hole in the wall outside the room they'd just been talking in. It was the perfect size to insert a headphone jack into.

As the reality of what must have happened sank in, the two of them found themselves simultaneously breaking out into a full sprint down the hall, practically flying down the stairs faster than it took the elevator to clear a single floor. Sure enough, when they got to the lobby they found that the entirety of Class 1-A had gathered there, each with their own luggage in tow in preparation to leave. They hadn't quite noticed the two of them there yet, so they didn't know to play it cool. A lot of them were divided off into several small groups, gossiping with one another in hushed tones. Though there were several conversations going on at once, it was clear they were all talking about the same thing.

Not all of them were talking, of course. Todoroki had settled himself in an armchair, his hands together over his mouth and nose in an expression that screamed that his mind was still in the process of being blown. On the one hand, _he fucking knew it_ , but on the other hand the truth had gone far beyond his own conspiracy theory.

Not everyone was being quite so quiet about their shock, unfortunately, and it didn't take long for a certain pair's discussion to reach the ears of the last person they wanted to hear it.

"Dude, I still can't believe we were hitting on All Might's daughter this whole time… _All Might's freaking daughter,_ dude! He's gonna _kill_ us if he finds out!" Kaminari whimpered out, his hands gripping tightly at his hair in his panic. At about the same moment, Kirishima's eyes widened in horror, being the first among them to finally spot their teacher there in the entrance to the lobby.

"Uhhh… Guys?" he tried to interrupt, waving his hand frantically to get his classmates' attention. Unfortunately, Mineta didn't quite get the hint, the diminutive hero still staring off into the distance.

"I've never before retroactively regretted peeking up a skirt in my life… What do you call it when you're scared but horny at the same time? Is this what a fear boner is like?"

" _Guys!_ "

But it was too late. In the next instant, both Kaminari and Mineta would find one of each of their arms clamped tightly in the vice-like grip of All Might's strong hands. They let out a yelp, looking up to find the pro hero towering over them like a mountain, anger clear on his face even through that persistent smile of his.

"So!" All Might began loudly enough that the whole gathering of his students could hear him – not that he needed to, as they'd all fallen into a dead silence the instant they'd noticed him there. "It seems like we need to have a refresher course on improper Quirk use, _don't we, Miss Jirou?_ "

At that, Jirou could be seen slumping where she sat in one of the lobby armchairs, her earphone jacks tucking away into her hair as though hoping that would make the old hero forget they existed. In the meantime, Midoriya found himself looking around at his fellow classmates with panic-stricken eyes. This was really bad! Of course he and Melissa could be trusted to keep their mouths shut about such a thing, but his entire class?! If even one of them let it slip, it would be all over the news within hours!

"O-oh man, All Might… What do we do now?" he stammered out nervously, looking up to his mentor for answers. All Might was clearly struggling to find those answers, but he obviously couldn't just leave it as it was.

"All right, new rule! What happens on I-Island stays on I-Island!"

Midoriya couldn't help but slap a hand over his face at that. He couldn't honestly believe that would work! Then again, perhaps the hero's intimidating glare would be enough to keep any of them from spreading their gossip around, so…

"Ooh! Ooh! Wait, I have a question!" Ashido piped up suddenly, raising her hand in the air as though they were back in the classroom. All Might let out a sigh as though he knew he was going to regret indulging the girl.

"Yes, Miss Ashido?"

"So… Did you and your baby-daddy, like, _do it_ while you were here visiting him?" she asked with the biggest shit-eating grin plastered across her face.

" _M-Mina!_ " Yaoyorozu scolded in shock, backing several paces away from her friend as though she suddenly had a target painted on her face.

"Whaaat? I just wanna know if we should be planning a baby shower soon! I mean, you guys heard the story! This is probably how it happened in the first place!"

All Might's face had turned beet red with embarrassment at the current subject of conversation among his students, but he somehow managed to stay relatively composed even as he pointed somewhat forcefully over towards the hotel doors.

"Airport. Now."

"See?! That's not a no!"

"I said _now!_ "

* * *

All Might tried to stifle a small grunt as he sat himself down at his desk in the staff room, trying to avoid having his coworkers pester him with worry over his health. He'd finally been allowed to remove the last of his bandages from his final battle with All for One, but his body was still riddled with aches and pains. He supposed he just had to resign himself to the fact that such was the norm for him now, especially since his Quirk was gone for good.

The retired hero let out a heavy sigh. He wasn't really sure what he was meant to do. He still wasn't back to his full teaching duties since they were still trying to figure out how he could teach his class without his former strength. For now, the most he could do was observe the students from afar and offer what little advice he could, and even that much felt a bit hollow.

Not wanting to mire himself too deeply into such depressing thoughts, All Might glanced over at the framed photograph he'd placed discretely next to his computer, a small smile forming on his lips. It was something Melissa had sent him a few months back; the only picture they'd managed to take of her and both of her parents together on I-Island before the expo fiasco. Midoriya was there too, which served as a fine distraction from any suspicions that it was just as much a family photo as it looked.

God, he missed them… Not that such a feeling was anything new to him, but now that he didn't have to hide anything from Melissa anymore… He was somewhat upset when he wasn't allowed to go visit her for her eighteenth birthday, but he understood why they'd restricted his travel after his retirement. Hell, he couldn't even wander around campus without having a pro hero glued to his hip as a bodyguard. Speaking of which…

"Hey. Got a minute?"

All Might looked up from his desk when he heard a tired voice address him from behind. He glanced up, spotting Aizawa standing there just behind his shoulder.

"Sure, but… Isn't it almost time for class to start? You'll need to get to homeroom any minute now."

"That's what I need you for. We're making an announcement to the students and I need you there for it."

A chill ran down All Might's spine at that, anxiety bubbling up inside him in an instant. He hadn't heard of any announcement being made, and that's what worried him. There had been a lot of staff meetings lately – meetings that he was expressly forbidden from taking part in. He had to tell himself that, contrary to his worst fears, U.A. High wasn't the type of place to cruelly sack him in front of an entire class of students. Unfortunately, he couldn't really think of anything else he could possibly be needed for. Still, there was no reason for him to decline. It's not like he had anything better to do.

A few minutes later, he found himself standing in front of the blackboard of Class 1-A, which felt rather awkward now that he could only remain in his true form. He wasn't used to having so many eyes glued to him while he was like that. Luckily, since he had no clue what this announcement was about, Aizawa quickly called the room to attention and got down to business.

"Alright, before we get to your first class, there are a few announcements we've got to get out of the way. First of all, as some of you may have heard, we've got a new addition to U.A.'s faculty starting today."

All Might flinched visibly at the news. He hadn't heard a thing about a new teacher until now. Could they have hired a replacement for him already? Dammit, he hadn't even been working there a year yet, but already…

"I know this might not make a whole lot of sense to tell you all first, since this new teacher won't be giving lessons in the Hero Department—"

All Might perked up a bit, his confusion overwhelming his relief at that little detail. Wait, they _weren't_ replacing him?

"—But nonetheless, I'd like to introduce you all to our new professor in the Support Department."

As if on cue, the classroom door slid open. Compared to all the other teachers there at U.A., this man looked remarkably plain, dressed simply in light gray slacks and a blue button-down shirt. He clearly wasn't Japanese, but aside from that he was the sort of person one wouldn't give a second glance if they passed him on the street. Even so, All Might could feel his heart begin to pound away in his chest at the sight of the man, those dull blue eyes of his smiling at him from behind his glasses.

"D-Dave?!" the retired hero gasped out in utter disbelief. There was no way this could be real! Dave was supposed to be in jail right now, though he hadn't been told the details of his lover's sentencing for what he'd done back on I-Island. He was sure he must be seeing things, but the way the other man smiled back at his so warmly…

"Long time no see, eh Toshi?" Dave replied jokingly, even though they hadn't seen one another in several months. It was still shorter than the last few times that they'd been apart. All Might struggled to resist the urge to pull his lover into a tight hug, painfully aware of the group of teenagers looking on from their desks. He also had to keep from bombarding the former scientist with questions, but Aizawa stepped in to move things along.

"I'm sure Professor Shield will be an excellent addition to the staff. Just be sure not to bombard him with requests for improvements to your gear. I'll remind everyone that there are allotted timeframes each year to submit such requests, and that time has passed for this semester," the erasure hero droned out blandly, shuffling around a few papers on his podium. "For our next announcement, I'd like to turn it over to All Might."

"W-wait, what..?" All Might stammered out in confusion, looking back towards his fellow teacher for some sort of explanation as to what he was supposed to be saying. Alas, all Aizawa offered him was that infamous 'logical ruse' grin of his. Was this some sort of prank? The old hero then looked out over the seated students, finding that the entire class was leaning forward over their desks expectantly, particularly the girls. Oh jeez, were they all in on it, too?! What was going on here?!

Finally, he turned his attention back to Dave, fully expecting him to be just as confused as he was. What he saw instead was his old partner's nervous, apologetic smile. Wait, him too?!

"Okay, before you say anything… This was entirely your students' idea," the scientist began, holding his hands up defensively. "Alright, well… Maybe not _entirely_ their idea. I've wanted to do this for ages. They just insisted it happen here. I agreed because, well… I owe them for giving me the opportunity to be here at all."

"Wh-what?" All Might asked, his bow furrowing in utter confusion. He looked out over the class again, whose collective grin seemed to have only widened since he'd last glanced their way. He narrowed his eyes at them in suspicion. "What did you all do?"

"Well, I mean…" Uraraka began, rubbing at the back of her head almost bashfully. "We started feeling really bad for eavesdropping on your conversation with Melissa, and you seemed really down after we all left I-Island, so… We thought maybe we could try to do something to make it up to you!"

"I-Island doesn't belong to any country, so _technically_ there weren't any laws there to break," Yaoyorozu chimed in. "All of the rules are enforced by the board of investors, which my parents happen to be on. I talked to them about it, and they managed to convince the rest of the board to let Professor Shield off without any jail time. He had to give up all his old research and he's not allowed back to I-Island, but… It meant he was able to come here."

"Yeah! And then we all told Principal Nezu about him and he practically hired him on the spot!" Ashido added enthusiastically, throwing her arms up in the air in excitement. "We wanted it to be a big surprise when he finally started work here, so… _Surprise!_ "

All Might couldn't believe what he was hearing. Had his students really planned all this out for him? Before he could question it further, he felt Dave grab hold of his hand. The retired hero looked down to meet his partner's loving gaze.

"Your students really are something else, Toshi. I didn't deserve to be let go like this, but… They did it all for you. You really are an amazing guy to have inspired such thoughtful kids, you know that?"

"Dave, what are you..?" All Might started in confusion, watching as the other man pulled off the fake wedding ring he'd worn for the past eighteen years and tossed it to the ground.

"There's nothing left to stand in our way anymore. You defeated that villain you were always so afraid of, and now he's locked away where he can't get to us. Melissa's all grown up, and you've already told her the truth, so we don't even need to hide it from her anymore. You're retired from your hero work, and I'm… Well, I'm here now. So…"

All Might's eyes widened as he watched Dave lower himself down to one knee, his heart skipping a beat as he finally realized what everyone in the class had been conspiring towards.

"I've wanted to ask you this for damn near twenty years, and now I finally can. I know were just a couple of washed-up old men at this point, but… I really hope it's not too late for us to start a life together like we always wanted.

"Toshinori Yagi, will you marry me?"

All Might couldn't stop the stupid grin that spread across his lips at that, his long bangs falling over his face to hide the tears rapidly gathering at the corners of his eyes. He wanted to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming, but he didn't want to pull his hands from where Dave held them in his own. He could practically feel the entire class staring at him intently, holding their breaths as they waited for his answer.

"Of _course_ I will! How the hell could I say no to that?"

As the class exploded into a chorus of cheers and clapping, All Might pulled Dave back up to his feet, immediately wrapping his arms around his fiancé in a warm embrace.

* * *

The End


	12. One Soul

.:: Author's Note: This is a bit of an unexpected continuation, so additional warnings apply going forward. This chapter, as well as chapters going forward, will contain spoilers for Season 4 of the anime. Please read at your own risk.::.

* * *

The air in the Class 1-A building of Heights Alliance was tense indeed as the entire class gathered around the main table of the common room, upon which a scattering of grid paper was the central point of interest. Most of the students were huddled close, peering with rapt interest over the shoulders of the four heroes taking part in the quest at hand, all of the attention focusing on one in particular. Iida, Midoriya, and Todoroki looked on almost nervously as Bakugo hesitated to throw the die, all the while Kaminari stared him down from behind his Dungeon Master's screen with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face.

"C'mon, man, you got this!" Kirishima encouraged from behind, giving the explosive teen's shoulder a firm pat. The gesture almost seemed to go ignored if it wasn't for the low grunt the blond gave in reply. Midoriya was not so confident in his classmate's luck, however, and tried for what felt like the fiftieth time that night to give him a six-sided die.

"Please, Kacchan, just take my Bardic Inspiration die! I can cast it multiple times, so it's not like you'd be wasting it by using it!"

"Bakugo, I must _insist_ you listen to Midoriya on this!" Iida chimed in emphatically, punctuating his pleas with a series of rigid hand movements. "There's too much riding on this for you to go it alone! If there's any roll you need a bonus on, it's _this_ one!"

"Shut up, you fuckin' nerds! I don't need Deku's shitty bard magic to beat this bitch!" he roared out in retort, though his eyes remained glued down towards the grid paper lying across the table surface, particularly at the miniscule demon-like figurine standing before the one representing his character. Finally, in a moment that had the entire group of teenagers holding their breath in anticipation, Bakugo tossed a twenty-sided die down across the tabletop.

"Oooh, bad luck, my dude! Natural one!" Kaminari chuckled out, though his teasing was all but drowned out by the howl of rage that erupted from Bakugo's throat. As several of their classmates worked to hold the explosive teen back from flipping the table in anger, Denki cleared his throat to attend to his Dungeon Master's duties.

"You attempt to jump out of the way of your opponent, but your toe catches a rock and you fall flat on your face into the dirt floor of the arena. A wide grin spreads across the Tiefling woman's face, and, taking advantage of your predicament, she slams her hoof down onto the middle of your bare back for…" there was a pause as another die was thrown somewhere behind the screen, after which Kaminari couldn't help but let out an almost impressed whistle. "Wow, uhh… Let's just say a lot of damage. You're out cold. The arena erupts into a roar of jubilation as those who had bet against you – which was pretty much all of them – celebrate their hefty winnings."

"No way! I coulda totally taken her! I want a rematch!"

"Sorry, man, that's just how the dice rolled. At least it wasn't a real battle or your character would probably be dead."

"Bakugo's pride is the least of our worries!" Iida interjected. "Need I remind you that he wagered _our ship_ on his winning a pit fight with a demon girl?! Now how are we supposed to leave Jahaal Cove?!"

"I-I'm just gonna go ahead and cast Healing Word on Kacchan…"

"Like hell you are! I said I don't need your help!"

"Since he's unconscious, he can't resist my healing, right?"

"Correct."

"Gaaah! Fuck off!"

"Todoroki! Surely you have something to say about all of this!"

At Iida's prompting, Todoroki finally looked up from where he was jotting something down on his character sheet.

"Not really. I won a thousand gold, so that's nice I guess."

"You bet _against_ me, you icy-hot bastard?!"

Fortunately for everyone present, the situation was more or less defused when the lot of them heard a knock at the main door. Uraraka broke away from the group to answer the door, her eyes widening when she opened it to see who was standing on the other side.

"A-All Might! What are you doing here, sir?"

" _All Might?!_ " came Midoriya's voice from the tangle of teenagers still trying to hold Bakugo back from strangling both Kaminari and Todoroki simultaneously. The young hero pushed past his classmates, running over to where his mentor stood in the foyer. The retired hero hugged his coat close to his scrawny body, bracing against the chill November air until the door was finally closed behind him. Once mercifully spared from the cold, he glanced down towards his successor with a warm smile.

"Ah, good evening, Young Midoriya. I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he began, giving the main group of teenagers a sideways glance, Bakugo still fuming a bit in the center.

"O-oh, not at all! I think we're pretty much done for the night…" Izuku replied nervously, rubbing at the back of his neck. Something told him that they wouldn't be calming their party's barbarian enough to continue with their session…

"Good. In that case, I was wondering if I could talk to all of you for a moment."

"All of us? For real?" Ashido asked, blinking in confusion as she overheard that last bit. At that, the rest of the class left the table to gather around All Might instead. Even Bakugo was willing to let go of his previous grievances enough to join them – though not before snatching that tiny Tiefling figurine off the table and turning it into a shower of pewter shrapnel.

"So, what's going on? We're not in trouble, are we?" Sero asked hesitantly once most of them were in place. All Might merely shook his head.

"No, you haven't done anything wrong… That I'm aware of."

"Why the late visit to the dorms, then?" Yaoyorozu chimed in after. "Normally something you'd have to address to the entire class would be done during homeroom."

"Yes, I realize this is somewhat unorthodox, but I didn't want to waste your class time on something like this. Besides, if this got out to the other classes, I might be accused of favoritism."

"What do you mean? What's this about?" Tokoyami asked from somewhere in the back of the group. All Might seemed a bit hesitant to continue right away, a light blush spreading across his cheeks.

"Well, er… Professor Shield and I are going to be getting married next week, and we thought it would only be appropriate if we invited all of you to attend."

"Really?!" Hagakure's excited squeal rang out from somewhere vaguely to the right side of the group, though her exact location was naturally hard to discern. "You're seriously going to invite us all to your wedding?!"

"Of course!" the lanky teacher replied, a proud grin spreading across his gaunt face. "Dave and I probably wouldn't have ever gotten the chance to get married like this if it wasn't for all of you and your kind efforts getting him here, so we thought it only appropriate that we have you all there. Your parents are invited as well, of course."

There was a murmur of excitement amongst the group of students as they all started eagerly discussing what sort of event the former Number One Pro Hero's wedding would be like. After a moment, a series of connected hands rose up above everyone's heads.

"Yes, Young Shoji?"

"Where exactly is this being held? I imagine security is a concern, considering all that's happened over the past year."

All Might gave the multi-armed young man a nod. It was a valid question, after all. He'd only recently been allowed to go jogging through the school grounds without the principal making him take a pro hero along as a bodyguard, and even that much took some convincing.

"You raise a good point, my boy. The League of Villains is still very much active, and we can't risk another incident like what happened during your summer break. Because of this, I'm afraid we're going to have to withhold the location until the day of the event. This time only myself, Dave, and Principal Nezu know where it will be taking place. I've also made all of the arrangements under a pseudonym to keep the risk of leaks to an absolute minimum.

"We'll have the guests meet in predetermined locations – here at the school, in the case of you and your parents – and we'll have charter busses ready to take you to the location. Aside from this, we're hoping the number of Pro Heroes in attendance will be enough of a deterrent to keep lesser villains from getting any funny ideas even if they somehow learn of it."

Midoriya had to admit that even he was surprised at the level of thought their teacher had put into the matter, especially in such a short period of time. Of course, as paranoid as it may have all seemed to an outside observer, the gathered teens knew firsthand how vital it was. Not only were they all potential targets of the League of Villains, but All Might himself would attract the eye of any villain hell-bent on revenge or glory now that he didn't have his Quirk any longer.

Then again, after more or less being stuck on school campus since they returned from summer break, none of them were about to complain about what would essentially be an impromptu vacation. Between those looking forward to the wedding and those simply looking forward to getting out of the dorms for a weekend, the lot of them found it hard to contain their anticipation for the rest of the week.

* * *

Midoriya wasn't entirely sure how long the bus ride had taken, only that it was long enough for him to have fallen asleep with his cheek pressed against the cold glass of the window. It didn't feel like he'd been out for too long before a gentle shake of his shoulder woke him up with a start.

"C'mon, Izuku! You're going to mess up your suit if you slouch like that!"

The familiar sound of his mother's gentle fussing made him forget momentarily where he was. Only when she mentioned his formal attire did he remember that he wasn't on some family road trip. The sound of a girl's amused giggling was enough for him to finally fully recall where he was. His eyes snapped open, and he found himself staring up at Uraraka, who was peeking over the back of the seat in front of him with a grin on her face.

"Deku, you've got drool all over the side of your face!"

Midoriya's cheeks flushed a pinkish hue at that, and he instantly scrambled to wipe the drool from his chin. Luckily his embarrassment would be short-lived, as moments later they felt the bus slowing down to an eventual stop. He peered out of the window, but was confused to find that outside there seemed to be the same plain empty fields they'd been driving past since before he'd drifted off to sleep. He didn't see even the beginnings of a town, let alone the sort of venue one would expect a wedding to be held at. Did the bus driver get lost?

Soon enough, the rest of his classmates and their family members began to file out of the bus, which served to confuse Izuku even further until he stepped outside himself. The world outside was completely different from the one he'd seen through the windows just a moment ago. They were standing at the entrance of a large mountain estate, and quite an old one by the looks of the traditional Japanese architecture of the buildings. The lush trees surrounding the property sported bright orange hues, their leaves having turned in reaction to the cool autumn air. A thin stream wound its way through the well-kept grounds like a sleeping snake, small bridges dotted here and there along its twisted length to allow for easy crossing.

"Wh-what the—!" Midoriya exclaimed in bewilderment. These weren't the fields and farmland he'd seen from the bus windows! He looked back to the bus, quickly taking notice of how the windows had been completely covered by somewhat familiar-looking panels.

"Th-they were TV screens?!"

"Of _course_ they were," Yaoyorozu replied as she passed her classmate by, though her tone was more fatter-of-fact than it was adversarial. "Letting us see the route would be a security risk, after all."

Shaking the shock of this revelation from his head, Midoriya then quickly looked around for his mentor. All Might's lanky form was soon spotted nearby with Dave standing at his side, greeting the guests as they arrived. Both of the men were dressed in white tuxedoes, which was fairly common in Western-style Japanese weddings. Dave had been wearing a gray suit at the I-Island Expo, so seeing him in such a light color didn't seem so unusual. Seeing All Might in all white, though… it made him look almost angelic in a way.

Soon enough, the retired hero's shadowed eyes lit up when they came to rest on his young protégé and his mother, the serene smile on his face widening further.

"Ah, I'm very glad you and your son could make it, Mrs. Midoriya," he greeted politely, giving the two a small bow. Dave followed suit awkwardly a second later, still clearly unused to the level of formality in Japanese society compared to his American homeland. Even so, he was obviously trying his best, and no one in attendance was about to give him a hard time over it.

"O-oh, no, i-it's an honor to be invited!" Inko stammered out nervously, giving an awkward bow herself. Her awkwardness was caused by being completely star-struck in All Might's presence, something Midoriya had forgotten he'd gotten over until he saw his mother behave in such a way. If you had told him a year ago that he'd one day attend his idol's wedding, well… He'd likely die from a heart attack on the spot. As it was now, he'd spent so long around the old hero that he was able to keep a handle on his emotions, at least for the moment.

The teen watched as his mother fumbled for a moment with the small clutch she'd brought along, retrieving an envelope closed with an elaborate decorative knot. The instant All Might recognized it, however, he held up a peremptory hand and gave her a nervous smile.

"O-oh, that's not necessary! P-please, I'd feel absolutely terrible accepting money from any of you! I know it's rather unorthodox, but I'd much prefer if you kept it for yourself!"

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Izuku chimed in without really thinking. "You were the Number One Pro practically since you debuted. You must have made a ton of money in all that time!"

At that, All Might seemed to blush in embarrassment, a gaunt hand reaching up to rub at the back of his neck.

"Y-yes, well… It was honestly more than I knew what to do with, even after giving most of it to charity each year… But that means we're more or less set for life, so I'd really feel better if you kept that money for yourself. I-I'm very sorry for turning away a gift like this…"

Luckily, Inko seemed to understand, and she soon managed to usher Izuku away so the two grooms could get back to greeting the rest of the guests. Once she was out of earshot, Dave couldn't resist leaning over to whisper something up at his fiancé.

"Is that why you don't accept a salary from U.A. either? How much do you have, anyway?"

The bashful heat spread across the retired hero's cheeks seemed to deepen further at such a question. They never did get around to talking about that, did they?

"U-uhh… W-we can talk about that when we get back home…" he deflected, not wanting to talk about such things in public like that. And just in time, as the next set of guests were approaching.

Shoto Todoroki made his way over in his usual quiet manner, though his presence seemed overshadowed by the figure towering over him from behind. All Might's gaze naturally locked onto the smoldering glare of the man who'd finally taken his place as the top hero in Japan. Endeavor's heavily-scarred face still held that same scowl it always had whenever the two of them encountered one another, but somehow his eyes didn't hold that old fiery hatred that it used to. They hadn't talked but once since All Might's retirement, but even that single conversation had been far more civil than it had been in years. The flame hero had probably taken the Kamino aftermath the hardest, but it was good to see that he was starting to get better in many different ways.

All Might smiled gently at his former colleague, bowing politely.

"I'm glad you decided to come, Endeavor."

Endeavor averted his gaze, and he seemed to resist the instinctive urge to scoff at the former pro's persistent positivity.

"Yeah, well… Would've been bad for my image not to come, so… Congratulations…" he more or less mumbled out, dismissing the lanky man's greeting with a wave of his hand as he marched past the two grooms. The younger Todoroki hesitated for a moment, settling on giving his teachers a polite bow on his father's behalf before reluctantly following after him. Dave arched a brow as he watched the two proceed to the chairs that had been set up for the guest to watch the ceremony.

"Jeez, and here I was hoping that attitude was all for show…"

"Don't worry, he's actually calmed down a lot in the past few months. Before, he likely would have sooner walked through broken glass than accept an invitation to my wedding," All Might replied with a light chuckle, though Dave didn't exactly see why that was something to brag about.

" _Papa!_ "

Suddenly, all thoughts of Endeavor left the scientist's mind when a familiar voice piped up to steal away his attention. He looked back just in time to see Melissa jogging towards him from a black sedan that had arrived while they were distracted with other guests. Dave couldn't stop a wide, elated grin from spreading across his face at the sight of his daughter. He wrapped his arms around her as she came to a stop against his chest and hugged him around his torso.

"M-Mellissa! How'd you manage to get permission to come?" he asked, somewhat bewildered but nonetheless glad to see her again. Security on I-Island was some of the toughest in the world, especially so after the recent incident. Residents weren't allowed to just leave on a whim. It took a mile of red tape just for the scientists to be granted leave for important conferences.

"Momo's parents helped get my leave approved! Besides, I'm still a student, and since I'm not working on anything confidential like you were, they were a bit more willing to let me go," she explained cheerfully, letting her father go only to give All Might a warm hug. "I'm really glad they let me come. I'd never forgive myself if I missed my Papa and my Dad getting married!"

All Might smiled warmly, hugging the girl close. He would be lying if he said that hearing her call him "Dad" didn't still make his heart skip a beat. He was quite glad that she could do so openly. Now that he and Dave were getting married, no one would suspect anything unusual upon overhearing such a thing, not that keeping their true relationship a secret really mattered anymore at that point.

"I'm glad you were able to come, sweetie," the old hero replied softly before Melissa finally let go.

"Mr. Tsukauchi was nice enough to come pick me up from the airport to keep it a surprise, and your old sidekick is really funny! It's a relief to know you had such good friends to take care of you while Papa wasn't here with you!"

"M-my old sidekick..?" All Might stammered out, his eyes widening. Aside from Dave himself, he only ever had one other sidekick, and he was…

"What's with that look, All Might? If there's any day that you should be smiling for, I would imagine your wedding day would be it."

Upon hearing that voice address him, the retired hero couldn't help but freeze dead where he stood. He looked over towards where the voice had come from, soon spotting Tsukauchi making his way around the other side of his car, pushing a wheelchair in front of him. The figure in the wheelchair stared up at him from behind a pair of angular glasses, his deadpan expression and intense stare boring into him as effectively as ever.

"N-Nighteye! Why are you here?! Are you sure it's okay for you to be out of the hospital so soon?!" All Might asked, still stunned, his eyes scanning over his former sidekick's form. He was pale, and he'd thinned out since he'd last been to visit him in the hospital. His left arm ended abruptly in a stump just above where his elbow used to be, and there was a bit of unnatural bulk around his lower abdomen where bandages were hidden under his suit. Honestly, it was an absolute miracle he'd survived his injuries at all. His brows furrowed further at his former employer's questioning.

"What do you mean? You're the one that sent me the invitation. Was it meant as a joke somehow?"

"N-no! Well, I mean… I couldn't _not_ send you an invitation, but I wasn't expecting you to actually…"

"The doctors allowed it for today. They said it would be good for me to get a bit of fresh air. Besides…" Sir Nighteye paused, his remaining hand moving up to push his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "With how miserable you looked when you came to visit me last, I had to come to see what you looked like when you're happy. I'm afraid it's been so long that I've forgotten what that looks like."

All Might wasn't sure what to say to that. The two of them hadn't spoken face to face like this since the younger man had received his devastating injuries. He hadn't been that great at articulating what he'd wanted to say back then. They thought Sir Nighteye was going to die at that point, and he'd been overcome with grief and regret. Now that they had more time to sort everything out, well… He hated to admit it, but All Might had gone back to his old habit of avoiding the talk that he knew they had to have.

"There's that somber face again," Nighteye added, pulling All Might from his thoughts. "You shouldn't dwell on the past so much. I'd rather see you finally enjoy your retirement with your husband."

At that, All Might let out a resigned sigh, a soft smile spreading across his face. He saw what his old friend was trying to do.

"You're right. Thank you. And… I'm glad you decided to come."

* * *

Soon enough, all of the guests had arrived and were in place to start the ceremony. The main ceremony was being held outside in the estate's vast gardens, the weather cooperating with them to provide a pleasantly mild fall day. All Might found that he felt uncharacteristically nervous standing up there in front of everyone. He'd more or less gotten used to appearing in front of his students and fellow teachers in his scrawny true form, but they accounted for only about half of those in attendance. The rest consisted of mostly pro heroes and the kids' parents, each of which had seen him like that perhaps once before this.

Suddenly, he felt someone grab hold of his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He didn't have to wonder at who it might be, a small smile appearing across his lips as he squeezed back. Even after all these years apart, Dave could still tell exactly how he was feeling from just a glance.

The murmuring of the gathered crowd died down as a diminutive figure made his way up the central isle, passing between the two grooms on his way to the podium behind them. The rodent-like creature climbed his way up the small stepstool left there for him, running his paws down the front of his suit to smooth out any wrinkles once he stood on the top. Once he was settled, he beamed a smile out to everyone.

"Greetings and welcome to you all! I'm fairly certain everyone here already knows me well, either as the current principal of U.A. High School or as one of your old teachers to those who have attended in the past. Regardless, I am Nezu, and it is my honor and privilege to officiate this wedding! I have ensured that my coat has been groomed to its maximum luster to reflect my happiness at such a momentous occasion!"

As Nezu finished his long-winded greeting, a smattering of badly-stifled groans could be heard speckled throughout the crowd.

"Oh great…" Best Jeanest sighed out in hushed tones. "Whose bright idea was it to have _Nezu_ of all people marry them? I know weddings are mostly sitting through speeches, but at this rate we won't even _get_ to the reception before sundown…"

"I know, right?" Midnight replied, a somewhat bitter pout forming across her lips. "I'm licensed to legally preside over marriages too, but I was turned down…"

"A rational decision, if you ask me," Aizawa mumbled more or less under his breath.

"Hey, I would have kept it clean!"

Ignoring the mumblings of those that were all too aware of the principal's rambling tendencies, Nezu quickly got the ceremony properly underway.

"Now then, Toshinori and David would like to acknowledge the spiritual presence of some people who meant a great deal to them. Toshinori and Dave are very happy to finally have the privilege of being legally married after nineteen years, and they deeply regret that their parents are not physically here today to join the celebration. David never had the opportunity to know Toshinori's parents, but Toshinori had the privilege of knowing David's parents, who were so very warm and welcoming from the first time that they met. They immediately made him feel like a part of the family, a great comfort to him during his time abroad in America.

"Toshinori and David have asked that I read this excerpt from Plato's Symposium, so I will.

"'Love is our best friend, our helper, and the healer of the ills that prevent us from being happy.

To understand the power of love, we must understand that our original human nature was not like it is now, but different. Human beings each had two sets of arms, two sets of legs, and two faces looking in opposite directions. There were three sexes then: one comprised of two men called the children of the Sun, one made of two women called the children of the Earth, and a third made of a man and a woman, called the children of the Moon. Due to the power and might of these original humans, the Gods began to fear that their reign might be threatened. They sought for a way to end the humans' insolence without destroying them.

It was at this point that Zeus divided the humans in half. Each of us when separated, having one side only, is but the indenture of a person, and we are always looking for our other half. Those whose original nature lies with the children of the Sun are men who are drawn to other men, those from the children of the Earth are women who love other women, and those from the children of the Moon are men and women drawn to one another. And when one of us meets our other half, we are lost in an amazement of love and friendship and intimacy, and would not be out of the other's sight even for a moment. We pass our whole lives together, desiring that we should be melted into one, to spend our lives as one person instead of two, and so that after our death there will be one departed soul instead of two; this is the very expression of our ancient need. And the reason is that human nature was originally one and we were a whole, and the desire and pursuit of the whole is called Love.'"

At that point, Nezu paused for a brief moment to glance out over the crowd to try to spy some of the reactions of the guests. There were already quite a few out there that were battling emotional tears. Aizawa had a portion of his scarf wrapped securely around Present Mic's mouth to keep his partner from sobbing aloud during the ceremony, though the voice hero didn't seem to notice, his glossy eyes fixed forward on the two grooms. Many of the students were already wiping futilely at their eyes, with the exception of Midoriya who seemed content with letting his tears flow freely in seemingly endless streams down his cheeks. Even Bakugo, who was currently slumped down in his chair as far as his mother would allow with his arms folded defiantly across his chest, couldn't quite hide the glisten gathering in the corners of his eyes.

And, of course, All Might himself was trying his damndest to hide his eyes behind his long bangs, though it was impossible to miss how his chin quivered despite his best efforts. Nezu couldn't stop his gentle smile from widening slightly in amusement at seeing the former pro in such a state. Perhaps he could push that just a little bit more?

"It all began when Toshinori rescued David from a burning building after a freak accident in one of their university's labs. Do you remember that very moment? Toshinori, can you still feel the weight of David in your arms? David, can you remember the cool air on your face as you were carried to safety? Both of you, do you remember what you wore? What the weather was like? The other people around you? Can you remember the very sight of each other, the sounds of each other's voices hitting your ears for the first time? Did you ever dream it would lead to a day like this? Can you believe it? It's real. It's happening. And it's even more marvelous than you've ever dreamed."

That did the trick. All Might was forced to cover his mouth to stifle an involuntary sob, though he couldn't stop a few tears from escaping to cascade over his trembling fingers. In a flash, he seemed to play the events of the past two decades in his mind. That strange flutter in his heart when he met Dave's eyes for the first time once they were safe and sound outside of the burning lab. The way his face burned with embarrassment when his tattered, singed shirt fell awkwardly away as they introduced themselves to one another. The taste on his lips when they shared their first kiss months later. He recalled the anxiety they both felt when they found out they would unexpectedly become parents, contrasted immediately with the joy of holding a newborn Melissa in his arms for the first time. He remembered how it broke his heart to leave the both of them to return to Japan, and how that ache never really went away in all the years since.

"You okay, Toshi?"

All Might looked down next to him when he heard his fiancé's words, feeling a hand rubbing his arm soothingly. Dave smiled up at him reassuringly, though the soft glare of his glasses couldn't quite hide how close he was to tears himself. The retired hero wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand, beaming a smile down at his partner.

"Y-yeah. Sorry… Guess old habits die hard, huh?"

Quite satisfied with the results, Nezu allowed the two grooms a moment to compose themselves before continuing.

"Please face each other and take each other's hands so that you may see the gift that they are to you."

The two men did as instructed, turning away from Nezu to face one another, All Might's worn, battle-scarred hands taking hold of Dave's softer ones. He could already feel the corners of his mouth begin to quiver as he stared down into the scientist's eyes.

"These are the hands of your best friend, strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow and forever. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch will comfort you like no other. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it, support and encouragement to pursue your dreams, and comfort in difficult times. And lastly, these are the hands that even years from now will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just one touch."

As Nezu spoke, beckoned forth by the principal's paw, Melissa stepped up from where she waited just off to the side. She tried her best to remain composed as she handed her parents their rings, though it was clear she was nearly as emotional as the two men.

"Wedding rings are a symbol of commitment and love. The rings are circular, like their love, with no beginning and no end. They represent what has been and what will always be. They are made of solid, sturdy material which is meant to survive years and years of hand-holding, washing dishes, and tender caresses. Couples wear their wedding rings every day as a symbol of their love.

"David, you will go first. Please place Toshinori's ring on the tip of his ring finger and repeat after me."

As Nezu dictated line by line, Dave repeated, finally sliding the ring onto All Might's finger as he finished.

"My heart and my love are in this ring. Toshinori Yagi, I promise to be your faithful husband, to love you through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. I promise you my unconditional love and I give you my unwavering trust. When you look at this ring, remember that I love you always."

"Toshinori, it's your turn,"

"Thank you for this beautiful ring. My heart and my love are in this ring. David Shield, I promise to be your faithful husband, to love you through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. I promise you my unconditional love and I give you my unwavering trust. When you look at this ring, remember that I love you always."

Once the exchange of rings was complete, Nezu proceeded to the conclusion of the ceremony, and the moment everyone was waiting for.

"And now I get to say something you've been looking forward to hearing for a long time. By the powers vested in me by the prefecture of Tokyo, I now pronounce you married! You may kiss your husband!"

The two of them didn't need any more prompting than that. Dave had to stand on his toes even as All Might bent down for him, wrapping his arms around the taller man's neck as their lips pressed together. All Might wrapped his arms around his husband's waist, pulling him even closer as he lingered on that kiss for as long as he was allowed. He almost didn't notice as the gathered crowd erupted into a chorus of cheers and applause, all of it seeming to fade into the background. All that mattered in that instant was the two of them and the moment they'd been waiting for all these years.


	13. Of Two Hearts

.::Author's Note: It's very important to note that, while this portion of the story begins at the start of year two for the students, the source material hasn't even gotten close to that point at the time that this has been published. At the time of this writing, the latest chapter of the manga that has been released is chapter 213. Because of this, I can guarantee that this section will diverge severely from canon right off the bat.::.

* * *

Izuku Midoriya was all smiles as he made his way up the main walkway towards U.A. High from the dorms, taking in the crisp spring air without much of a care in the world, his backpack slung casually over one shoulder. His calm demeanor was a stark contrast to how he was just one year ago; a bundle of nerves and anxiety as the shadow of his dream school loomed large and intimidating before him.

He wasn't oblivious to the cause of this drastic change in how he approached his high school career. Today marked the day he'd become a second-year student, and he certainly hadn't forgotten a moment of his experience from the first year over spring break. Perhaps it was because he had a solid grasp on how things worked at U.A. Perhaps it was because he finally had a decent grasp of One for All, though admittedly some of the Quirks contained within it hadn't quite been mastered. Or perhaps it was seeing all of the new first-years scrambling nervously to class for the first time, eager to find their homeroom and start their own journey towards becoming heroes. Whatever helped it along, one could be certain that this year's Midoriya had grown considerably since he'd been in those first-years' shoes.

Making his way inside, the young hero had to remind himself to climb an extra flight of stairs before he made it to the appropriate floor – probably the most difficult habit he'd have to break. Soon enough, he found himself standing before a massive door marked "2-A." His smile seemed to widen still at that, as though it had just become real. He was now in Class 2-A!

"Yo, Midoriya! Good to see you didn't sleep through our first day back!"

As he slid open the door, he wasn't at all surprised to find a familiar twenty faces already occupying their usual seats in the classroom. He let out an embarrassed chuckle at Kaminari's teasing greeting, running a hand through the back of his wild mop of curly hair.

"Y-yeah, I guess I almost did, huh? I forgot to start setting my alarm again, so I would have definitely been late if Todoroki hadn't come and knocked on my door."

"Tch... Shoulda just let the idiot be late..."

"Good morning to you too, Kacchan."

"Shove your 'good mornings' up your ass, you piece of shit nerd!"

Midoriya couldn't help but smile lightly at the explosive teen's vitriolic retort, knowing in his heart that he didn't really mean it. Perhaps he had a year ago, but after everything that had happened, Bakugo seemed to only retain his sour attitude out of habit at this point.

Izuku had barely sat down at his desk when the door slid open once more. Without an ounce of fanfare, a haggard figure dressed all in black shuffled his way in and took his place at the front of the class.

"Alright, hurry up and get changed into your hero costumes. It's time to get to work." Aizawa instructed in his usual bland tone, almost immediately turning to leave the room as quickly as he'd arrived. His students were naturally confused, but they knew better than to question their teacher's unorthodox methods. After all, the lot of them were quite familiar with the erasure hero as well as their fellow students, so first day formalities had likely been deemed irrational and summarily discarded.

Minutes later, Class 2-A had gathered out in the athletic fields, each student clad in colorful hero garb. Each of their costumes were slightly different from when they'd seen them last, having been noticeably modified by the support division staff over the break. Midoriya's in particular had been modified the most, though one would be forgiven for thinking it was the same old green jumpsuit he'd always worn. The teen grinned with pride as he donned the careful recreation of his mother's design, feeling the lightweight yet incredibly durable fabrics that were characteristic of the suits made by David Shield. He still couldn't believe he was actually wearing a costume made by the same talented engineer that had been responsible for all of All Might's hero costumes! It was like a dream come true!

"Alright everyone, if you've gotten your costumes in order, we should probably get started. We've got a lot to do here and we don't want this to spill over into your other classes."

Speak of the devil... Upon hearing that strong yet gentle voice address them, Midoriya couldn't help but look up excitedly. All Might himself stood there next to Aizawa, his impressive height made all the more towering by how impossibly thin he was. Even so, the retired hero looked as lively as ever, and by Izuku's estimation he may have even managed to gain a pound or two since they last saw him. That was good, considering all of the health issues his old injuries gave him.

All Might still trained and mentored Midoriya regularly, and he'd made a point to remind the boy that he could call on him at any time. Midoriya tried not to do that unless it was bordering on an emergency, though. It still felt like just yesterday that All Might and Professor Shield had gotten married, and he wanted to give the two newlyweds as much time together as they could get when they weren't busy with their teaching duties. Of course, it had been a little over four months since their wedding, so he wasn't entirely sure if they were still considered newlyweds, but he tried his best not to bother them regardless.

"You'll probably recognize the tests we're about to do from the first ones I put you through at the beginning of last year," Aizawa continued where All Might left of. "I know it must seem mundane after everything you've been through this past year, but it's important to gauge your progress against the original benchmarks you set back then. You may use your Quirks freely, as well as any new techniques you may have learned since the last time. Just do your best, and... Jirou, are you paying attention?"

As the normally unflappable erasure hero uncharacteristically broke off his explanation mid-sentence, the entire class instinctively turned to face the cause of the interruption, more out of curiosity than anything. Jirou, who appeared to have been in the middle of trying to untangle a nasty looking knot from one of her earphone jacks, suddenly froze as she found herself at the center of attention. An embarrassed blush took over her face, and she scrambled to tuck the offending appendage into her hair despite it clearly paining her to move it while it was tangled so badly.

"S-sorry! I-it got tied up like this while I was sleeping, and I was almost late for school, so I didn't get a chance to..." She trailed off a bit there, clearly flustered at having her predicament called attention to like that. Aizawa, though he didn't really show it, felt a little bad for calling attention to her like that now that he knew what was wrong. He opened his mouth to suggest she go to see Recovery Girl about it, but his fellow teacher stepped forward before he could get a word out.

"Oh, well perhaps I can help with that," All Might offered as he stepped through the crowd of students towards her. Reluctantly, she pulled her tangled jack out from where she'd hidden it in her hair, allowing the retired hero to gingerly take it in his hands.

"Back in college, whenever I'd go to visit Dave in the labs, he'd always put me to work untangling messes of wires for him. He swore I was helping, but I knew he was just trying to keep me busy. I think he was afraid that I'd break something important if I wasn't preoccupied with something tedious like that. Either way, I got really good at untangling wires from how often I'd go to see him. See? All done!"

By the time he was finished with his little anecdote, and seemingly before anyone even noticed, Jirou's jack hung straight and free from her ear, not so much as a kink left in the wire. Aizawa couldn't help but be mildly impressed. The way the older hero had handled that reminded him of an experienced pediatrician deftly distracting a young child while giving them their injections without their notice. He never expected All Might to have such a skill, though he supposed the man did have a daughter of his own. That must have been some weird power parents instinctively develop or something like that. That seemed like a logical conclusion, considering he himself would never be able to pull something like that off even if he tried.

"Alright, now that _that's_ taken care of, let's get started with the tests. We'll start with the standing long jump. Ashido, you're up first."

As the class took turns stepping up to the field for their assessments, Midoriya couldn't help but chance a peek back towards Jirou to make sure she was okay. He spotted her holding the jack that All Might had just untangled for her, pressing her finger to the tip of the metal contact at the end for a few moments before taking it away again. She did the same with her other jack, seemingly to test it against one she knew to be working properly, but her eyebrows seemed only to furrow in confusion. She then quietly asked Yaoyorozu to do the same, but as the other girl touched her fingers to each of her jacks in turn, Jirou grew even more bewildered.

Suddenly, Midoriya got the image in his head of a worn-out pair of headphones, one side no longer working anymore from having twisted the wire too much and shorting it out on the inside. The thought when applied to his classmate's Quirk made him shudder. Had she gotten it tangled up so badly that it didn't work anymore? He really hoped that wasn't the case, and if so he hoped it was reversible.

* * *

Later that afternoon, after classes had concluded for the day and they had all headed back to the dorms, Midoriya jogged a bit to catch up with Jirou, hoping to talk to her before she went up to the girls' wing of Heights Alliance and disappeared into her room for the night.

"H-hey, Jirou! You got a sec?" he called out awkwardly. Despite having been in the same class with her for an entire year, Izuku was ashamed to admit that he hadn't talked to her all that much. Of course, she was the type to keep mostly to herself, but that wasn't much of an excuse on his part, as far as he was concerned.

"Yeah. What's up?"

"I-I was just wondering if your earphone jack was okay. I saw you testing it earlier and you looked confused. It didn't get damaged, did it? I'd hate for it to stop working on you..."

At that line of questioning, Jirou's cheeks flushed bright pink and she looked away, seemingly embarrassed. Suddenly Midoriya felt a wave of panic wash over him. Had he said something wrong? Was it inappropriate for him to ask about something like that? Had he accidentally brought up something too intimate for classmates to talk about? Oh God, he messed up, didn't he?!

Luckily, Yaoyorozu had overheard their conversation – such as it was – and felt perfectly comfortable joining in without invitation. That alone was a gigantic relief, as Momo wasn't the type to go talking about her classmates' intimate issues in inappropriate company.

"I was just thinking the same thing. You had me worried earlier when you asked me to help test them for you. Do you need to go see Recovery Girl about it?"

"N-no, it's working fine! Besides, even if it did get shorted out, it usually heals itself in a couple days!" Jirou retorted, eager to ease her classmates' concerns about her. "I-it's just..."

She trailed off a bit when she attempted to continue, suddenly getting second thoughts about what she was about to say. Then she seemed to shake the idea from her head.

"I-it's nothing. I'm sure I was just hearing things..."

"That won't do at all!"

The sudden jarring interruption from another of their classmates was enough to have the three of them practically jumping out of their skin in surprise. They all looked up to find that Iida had come over to join the discussion, a rather serious look on his face as usual.

"Jirou, if you're hearing strange things through your earphone jacks, you must have it checked out immediately! Your hearing is one of your Quirk's strongest abilities! If it can't be relied upon, that could become a huge issue for you!"

"Jeez, chill out, would you? It's not as bad as you're making it sound. I-it was probably just some weird feedback or something, I'm _sure_ of it."

"Feedback, huh?" repeated Kaminari as he joined the ever-growing group gathered around Jirou. "What did it sound like? If it's electrical interference, I might be able to lend you something to keep yourself grounded. I gotta keep grounding wires on all my electronics or I'd constantly fry my stuff."

Suddenly, when the subject of what she heard was directly addressed, she shrunk away a bit as though desperately wanting to run away from the conversation.

"N-no, it wasn't anything like that…"

"What did you hear then?" Uraraka asked curiously, standing on her toes to try to see over the shoulders of her taller classmates. By this time, practically the entire class was gathered around poor Jirou, all too intrigued to leave well enough alone. She let out a small groan of reluctance, but finally gave in.

"A-alright, but don't blame me for what I'm about to say. I'm just telling you what I heard."

All of the other students leaned in at this point, utterly enthralled by the thought of what sort of sound Jirou could have heard to make her so flustered. She took a deep breath before finally continuing, though her cheeks were considerably flushed with embarrassment.

"Okay, so… When All Might was untangling my earphone jack he ended up holding onto the metal contact for a few seconds, and I heard… W-well, it sounded like there were _two_ heartbeats…"

There was a long stretch of silence as most of the rest of the class struggled to understand what that was supposed to mean. Midoriya, at the very least, was utterly dumbfounded. Two heartbeats? What the hell could that even mean? Was she implying that All Might was Doctor Who or some such nonsense?

Suddenly, it seemed that one of them had put it together, at least if the high-pitched squeal of delight was anything to go by. Everyone turned to stare at Uraraka as she began to bounce in place, covering her mouth to try to stifle her joyful screaming. Moments later, Yaoyorozu could be heard drawing in a sharp gasp.

"Oh my God…" she whispered out softly, her words muffled as she, too, covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide in realization. One by one, that realization seemed to spread throughout the group, with each student suddenly overcome with their own brand of delighted glee. Oddly enough, this phenomenon seemed to be occurring only among the female students, with the males left to look on more confused than ever.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. There were a couple of outliers on the boys' side. Aoyama was all sparkles, fanning himself excitedly with his hands and exclaiming something in French. Todoroki's normally cool expression morphed into what had unanimously been dubbed his 'conspiracy face,' his eyes slowly widening as he uttered a soft, " _Oh._ "

"Wh-what is it, guys? What is that supposed to mean?" Midoriya asked finally, his eyes searching among the girls for an answer. Uraraka skipped over to him, grabbing onto his shoulders even as she continued her excited bouncing.

"It's a baby, Deku! A _baby!_ "

Midoriya spent the better part of a minute staring at her, this new piece of information taking its sweet time to click into place. Once it did, however…

" _WH-WHAAAT?!_ "

"Holy shit, are you serious?! All Might's pregnant?!" Kirishima exclaimed, not at all concerned with how such a thing was possible. After all, they'd all heard the story their teacher had told back on I-Island about how he'd been Melissa's real mother, how he'd had her back when he and his husband were still in college. Granted, that story had been meant for Melissa's and Midoriya's ears only at the time, but at least their previous eavesdropping seemed to come in handy in this case.

"A-are you absolutely sure?" Tokoyami asked somewhat nervously. "Could it have somehow just been an echo of his normal heartbeat or something?"

Jirou shook her head at that.

"No, the second one was fainter, but it was also beating a lot faster. I don't know of anything else that could have done that. I tested my jacks after and I couldn't recreate it with anyone else."

"Y-yeah, but… He's thin as a rail! Wouldn't it be super obvious if he was pregnant?"

As Ashido made that observation, Midorya – who had been frozen like a statue in shock that whole time – suddenly flinched in realization. He recalled his silent observation earlier that All Might had gained a tiny bit of weight, though it was honestly so slight that he couldn't be sure. He hadn't thought too much of it at the time, but in this new context…

"It's probably not been that long, then," Tsuyu pointed out, holding a finger against her bottom lip in thought. "A baby's heartbeat usually can't be heard on an ultrasound until about five and a half weeks. I can't imagine he's much farther along than that, since he's not really showing at all."

At that, Kaminari couldn't help but stare at the frog girl, a single eyebrow arched.

"How the hell do you know something like that?"

Ignoring the suspicious tone in her classmate's voice, Tsuyu merely shrugged.

"I asked my mom a lot of questions when she was pregnant with my baby sister. She answered them."

"Wow, I guess Tsuyu's family is just as straightforward as she is…" Sero observed mostly to himself.

"Wait, if he's not that far along yet, isn't it likely that he doesn't know about it himself?" Uraraka interjected, finally having recovered from her blind elation over the news. "If he doesn't know yet, one of us really should tell him before he does something he's not supposed to. I know the teachers sometimes go out for drinks together…"

At that, the entire group seemed to clam up, each one of them going out of their way to avoid eye contact with one another. None of them wanted to be singled out to have that conversation with a living legend like All Might. Slowly, everyone's gaze drifted over towards the one poor soul that wasn't paying close enough attention to his surroundings.

Alas, by the time Midoriya had snapped out of his daze enough to notice what was going on, he had already been volunteered to the task by the rest of his class.

"Wh-what?! _M-me?!_ Wh-why me?!" he stammered out in a panic, waving his hands wildly in front of himself as though trying to wave away the responsibility of what he'd been chosen to do.

"What do you mean? It _has_ to be you, dude!" Kaminari shot back immediately. "You've always been his favorite, so it'll be easy for you to bring it up with him!"

"Yeah, and don't you try to deny it!" Mineta chimed in. "You were the only one he meant to tell about his first kid, so it'll be the least weird for you to tell him about this one!"

"B-b-but we don't _know_ that he doesn't know, r-right?!" Midoriya retorted desperately. "I-I mean, y-yeah, it'd be super important to let him know if he doesn't already, but if he _does_ it'll just look like we were needlessly prying into his personal life!"

"Hmmm… You do have a point…" Iida agreed thoughtfully, to which Midoriya let out a sigh of relief. It was a short-lived reprieve, however, as the turbo hero's continuation of his thought served to dash all hopes of him getting out of this. "In that case, you'll have to find out if he knows first!"

"Wh-what?! H-how am I supposed to do that?!"

"You're one of the smartest among us, Midoriya! I'm confident you'll find a way!"

"U-umm…"

As that weak interjection drifted its way over towards the group, the lot of them suddenly realized that one among them had been left way out of the loop when it came to this particular subject. They looked over to find Hitoshi Shinso standing there with an expression of mixed confusion and horror on his pale face, a peremptory hand raised as though to urge the rational world to stop spinning wildly away from him. That's right, they'd completely forgotten that Shinso hadn't been there with them on I-Island, meaning he hadn't learned of the story All Might had told to his daughter and Midoriya. He hadn't even joined their class until after the retired hero and his old lover had gotten married, the only hint of which the young hero would have being the simple gold band that had suddenly appeared on his teacher's finger. Given all that he'd missed out on, Shinso's next question was more than understandable.

"The _fuck?!_ "


	14. Known Unknowns

The next day, Midoriya found himself sitting at his desk before class, his mouth hanging open slightly as he stared zombie-like forward into the distance. He was beyond exhausted, but it was his own damn fault really. In his quest to get information on how well-known All Might's current condition was, he had the brilliant idea to try asking Melissa about it. After all, if the retired hero really knew he was pregnant, he imagined one of the first people who would be told about it would naturally be the man's own daughter.

I-Island was currently somewhere out in the Atlantic Ocean, so Izuku was forced to stay up rather late waiting for an appropriate time to send her a message. He'd tried to be vague about it at first, simply asking her if she'd heard anything about her parents, but that route instantly backfired.

 _'Why would you ask me? You guys see them every day, so wouldn't you know before me?'_ was the message she sent back at first, which would have been fine, except… _'Wait, did something happen? Are they okay?'_

The next few hours were spent frantically messaging the girl back and forth, desperately coming up with excuse after excuse as to why he'd be asking her something like that, narrowly dodging the truth at every turn. Melissa clearly didn't know anything, but he couldn't tell her. He just knew that she'd get so excited at learning she was going to be a big sister that she would immediately call her parents to congratulate them, and he absolutely couldn't let them find out that she'd learned of it from him. Besides, that was really something she should hear about from All Might or Professor Shield themselves.

"Jeez Deku, you look really tired… Did you not sleep well last night?"

Midoriya's weary gaze shifted up from where it was slowly drifting down towards his desk, looking up into the rather worried-looking face of Uraraka.

"Y-yeah, kinda…" he admitted bashfully, glancing around to make sure their teacher hadn't yet arrived before continuing his explanation. "I tried to see if Melissa knew, but I kinda almost blew it and it took forever to get her to stop being suspicious. It doesn't seem like they told her, though."

"Hmm… Well, that doesn't necessarily mean that All Might and Professor Shield don't know. They may not have told her just yet," Yaoyorozu offered, leaning forward in her desk slightly to join in on the conversation. "She'd be one of the first ones they tell, so at the very least we know that they're the only two that _would_ know right now."

"R-right…" Midoriya replied somewhat dejectedly. That meant he couldn't avoid talking to one of them about it. "I-I guess I'll try talking to the Professor during lunch or someth—"

Suddenly, the classroom door slid open, causing everyone who'd been gathered around to practically have a heart attack.

"Back to your seats, everyone," Aizawa ordered in his usual tired manner as he made his way over to the podium at the head of the class. Their teacher took a moment to settle a small stack of papers on its surface, likely some test they were meant to take or something. Before he could get to passing them out, however, he paused, his eyes scanning over his students with a slight air of suspicion.

Midoriya couldn't help but flinch lightly as the erasure hero's gaze passed over him. He knew the man was familiar enough with the lot of them to instinctively know when they were up to something. What if he decided to interrogate them over it? There was no way they'd all be able to resist such a thing. Someone would inevitably squeal. On one hand, that would certainly solve their problem of telling All Might about his baby. Aizawa would likely find all of their subterfuge to be an illogical waste of time, and he'd proceed to telling his colleague the news straight to his face without so much as batting an eye. On the other hand, he'd be equally open about how he'd acquired such information, meaning their attempt to delicately dance around the subject would have been for naught.

Thankfully for the lot of them, Aizawa seemed to have determined that the very pursuit of the subject was a waste of his time, and merely commenced with his usual teaching duties.

* * *

A few hours later, the students were released to spend their lunch break however they wished. Most everyone headed to the cafeteria to eat, but Midoriya found himself standing in front of one of the support division's first-year workshops. Professor Shield had been hired in the middle of the last school year, and most of that time had been spent assisting Power Loader and learning how things were done at U.A. Now that a new year had started, he'd been put in charge of the incoming Class 1-G. Midoriya could spot one of the Professor's new students from a mile away, as each of them tended to be a little more excited than the other first-years in the support division. After all, when it came to support item development, you couldn't get more respected than David Shield. Izuku imagined those giddy young engineers looked up to the Professor the same way he'd always looked up to All Might.

Midoriya was quite the fan of the man himself, but today he was less than enthused at the prospect of having to talk to him. First and foremost, what was his game plan here? What excuse could he use for even being on this side of the school, let alone bringing up the guy's husband out of the blue? Unfortunately, he wasn't able to formulate a proper plan before the door in front of him slid open.

"Oh, Izu—I mean, Midoriya," Professor Shield corrected quickly when he spotted the teen standing there in the hall. He was still getting used to Japanese customs, and one of the hardest ones for him was to not automatically calling someone by their given name unless they were rather close. The boy was practically family at that point, so it was probably okay in a more casual setting, but it would have looked rather strange indeed for a teacher to go around calling a student by their given name.

"What brings you over here? Something wrong with your hero costume?"

"O-oh, no, nothing like that! My costume's absolutely perfect!" Midoriya replied frantically, already getting awkward despite his best efforts. "I-I was just curious how you were doing teaching on your own. N-not that I think you'd have trouble! J-just that I know you're more used to teaching university students, so… The projects they have you working on here must be really boring compared to your work on I-Island, a-and…"

As Izuku started on his habitual rambling, Dave couldn't help but give the boy a warm smile.

"No, it's not boring at all. Sure, the projects I've set up to teach my students are simple compared to some of my previous work, but it's strangely refreshing getting back to basics like this." Suddenly, the scientist's smile shifted into a small smirk, his eyes narrowing almost suspiciously behind his glasses. "Did Toshi ask you to come check on me like this? I swear, now that he can't fight crime anymore, he's shifted the focus of all his worries onto the people around him."

Ah, there it was; his chance to naturally change the subject to All Might without it seeming strange!

"N-no, he didn't put me up to it at all! I was just curious! Though, I know what you mean. He seems to worry over me almost as much as my mom would. I was actually wondering if something had happened lately to make him act like that."

At that, Dave's expression seemed to soften, but he shook his head.

"No, not that recently. To be honest, this is just him adjusting to finally being a civilian again. I know it's been over half a year since he's retired, but you don't get almost three decades of saving people like that out of your system overnight. Give him a bit more time and I'm sure he'll learn to chill out."

At that, Midoriya seemed to let out a small sigh of relief, soon replacing his unease with a smile of his own.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks for clearing that up, Professor."

"No problem. Actually, I was just heading out to meet him for lunch. Would you want to come along? I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"O-oh, no that's okay! My friends are waiting for me in the cafeteria. M-maybe some other time."

* * *

"Well?"

As Midoriya made his way over to his usual table with his food, he heard one of his classmates address him as soon as he was within safe speaking distance. He looked down to find Uraraka, Iida, Yaoyorozu, and Shinso all staring up at him expectantly, eager to hear what he might have learned. He glanced around nervously before taking the seat they'd held for him.

"Professor Shield doesn't know, I'm sure of it," he replied, playing with his rice with his chopsticks rather than eating it, his posture slumping a bit in his seat.

"Hmm… That makes it highly unlikely that All Might would know himself," Iida replied, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "His husband would naturally be the first one he told if he even _suspected_ something like this had happened. Unless he's waiting to surprise him with the news for whatever reason, I think we can safely assume he doesn't know about it."

"You've gotta tell him, Deku!" Uraraka whispered out urgently, pumping her fists up and down in front of her. "The sooner he learns about this, the better!"

"Y-yeah, I know…" Midoriya groaned out reluctantly, slumping a bit further down in his seat. Dammit, he was really hoping to learn that their teacher knew about it already so he didn't have to do this…

"We have his class next after lunch, so that might be your chance to pull him aside and talk to him about it," Shinso offered somewhat hesitantly. After everything he'd heard the night before, the rest of the class was forced to bring their late addition up to speed on All Might's situation, which meant telling him the story they'd promised never to repeat. He was still struggling to process it all, but he tried his best to keep up with the rest of the class.

Midoriya let out another reluctant groan, but he couldn't argue with that idea. He continued to pick at his food for the remainder of lunch period. Despite having not eaten all day, he suddenly wasn't all that hungry for some reason.

* * *

As soon as lunch was over, Class 2-A was instructed to don their hero costumes and head out to Training Ground Gamma. The twenty-one students made quick work of their preparations, hurrying out towards the specified area of the vast campus grounds. As the group of them made their way down the path, they soon spotted a tall figure in a familiar yellow pinstriped suit walking some distance ahead of them.

Midoriya flinched visibly when he noticed their teacher up ahead. All Might seemed to be alone, the principal having finally allowed him to walk freely anywhere on campus without another Pro Hero as a bodyguard now that quite some time had passed without any major incidents at the school. It seemed like the perfect time to approach him and talk, and that's what seemed to frighten Izuku the most.

Suddenly, he felt a hand press against his back, gently shoving him forward as though coaxing him to hurry after the retired hero. He glanced back over his shoulder, meeting the mischievous smirk of Kaminari.

"Go on, dude. Now's your chance!"

Midoriya let out a small whimper at that, swallowing hard at the lump that had gathered in his throat. It looked like his classmates weren't going to let him put this off until after the school day was over. He didn't have much choice now but to just get it over with.

After taking a short moment to steel himself, Midoriya jogged ahead of his class to catch up with his mentor. All Might glanced back at him when he heard someone approaching, a warm smile spreading across his face when he noticed who it was.

"Ah, Young Midoriya! Good to see you're as eager as ever to start training. Though, is everything alright? Dave told me you came to see him earlier during lunch."

"A-ah, no! Everything's fine! I-I was just curious how the Professor was liking being a homeroom teacher this year is all!" Midoriya stammered out as All Might almost immediately seemed to suspect something was amiss. Damn, if he'd noticed that the teen was acting strangely already, there was nothing to do but go for it. "A-actually, I have been wondering… Have you been feeling strange at all lately?"

All Might's brows seemed to hunch further down over his already shadow-obscured eyes, a thoughtful hum emanating from his throat.

"Strange? How so?"

"W-well, y'know… You haven't felt like throwing up or anything lately, have you?"

"No, can't say as I have," he replied evenly. "Of course, I haven't felt nauseous once since I lost my stomach, even when I was sick. I don't think it's possible for me anymore. That's an oddly specific question, though. Why do you ask?"

"O-oh, uhhh… It's just…"

Shit, this was bad! All Might definitely suspected something now, he was sure of it! But what was he supposed to say to that? Should he just confess and finally tell him what Jirou had heard? Think, Izuku! Think!

"W-well… I'd heard that there's a bad stomach virus going around and I wanted to make sure you hadn't caught it or anything. I-I guess that was a little silly of me though, huh? Considering you don't have one anymore…"

Luckily, All Might responded to that with a good-natured chuckle.

"Yeah, I guess that's the one good thing I can say about all those surgeries; it's kinda left me immune to stuff like that. Now if it was some sort of respiratory virus going around, then I'd be in big trouble. Either way, I appreciate the concern, my boy."

Midoriya allowed himself to let out a small sigh of relief. That certainly was a close one… But the question remained; did All Might know he was pregnant? The teen had wanted to see if maybe he was getting morning sickness, but it seemed like that was a dead end either way. If that was the case, then he'd have almost no symptoms to warn him of what was going on. That meant…

He drew in a deep breath. He had to do it. He had to tell him! Izuku opened his mouth, determined to let him know even if he had to blurt it out…

But he couldn't. No matter how hard he tried, he just didn't have the courage to bring it up like that. He closed his mouth again, and the rest of the walk was made in silence.

* * *

Once they neared Training Ground Gamma, All Might split off from Midoriya and made his way over towards Thirteen, who'd apparently arrived ahead of time to set things up. As soon as their teacher was out of earshot, Izuku suddenly found himself surrounded by his classmates once more.

"Well? How'd it go?" Sero asked eagerly, to which Midoriya couldn't help but shrink away a bit.

"I-I'm sorry, I couldn't do it…" he apologized meekly.

"Damn, what do we do now?" Kirishima growled lightly under his breath. "I mean, I guess it's only a matter of time before he finds out on his own. Could we try to keep him out of trouble until then?"

"Alright, my young wards, it's about time to get started."

The whole class seemed to flinch as their impromptu plotting was interrupted by their teacher's announcement that the class was about to begin. They all looked up towards All Might, secretly praying that he hadn't overheard what they were talking about. If he had, he certainly didn't give any hint of it, merely getting right down to business.

"Today we're going to be working on a high-stakes rescue scenario. Villains have raided this factory complex and incapacitated the workers, taking the company's president – who was here on an inspection tour – hostage. They've demanded that a hefty ransom be paid for the president's release within an hour, or they will kill him. Your primary objective is to secure the VIP target alive and preferably unharmed. Rescuing incapacitated workers will be considered in how well you score, but try to keep your time limit and priority target in mind."

"You're free to use your own judgement for how you handle the situation," Thirteen chimed in. "You may work together or individually as you please, and you may use whatever methods you wish. Teamwork is obviously encouraged, but there are times when it is beneficial for a hero to strike out on their own to handle a crisis in a timely manner. Every scenario we as heroes encounter must be judged on a case-by-case basis, and thus our methods for handling them change for each one. Here you will be graded on your situational awareness, judgement under pressure, and how well you adhere to the law in your actions in such a case."

"Hell yeah! It's about damn time we got to something like this!" Bakugo exclaimed with a wide grin, clearly excited about being allowed to go his own way in a mission like this. "So, who's this VIP we're going after? I'll be sure to have the guy rescued in ten minutes flat!"

"That, Bakugo my boy, would be me."

Upon hearing that reply from All Might, a cold wave of panic seemed to wash over the entire class. Even Bakugo's eager smile quickly faded.

"W-wait, are you sure that's a good idea?!" Jirou blurted out, seemingly without thinking. After she realized what she was saying, she shrunk back a bit, an embarrassed blush spreading across her cheeks. "I-I mean... Won't it be too dangerous for you now that you're... U-ummm... Quirkless?"

"Y-yeah!" Mineta of all people added, jumping in to back Jirou up a little. "Wouldn't it be better if one of the other teachers stood in as the president?"

At hearing all this, All Might couldn't help but let out a hearty chuckle.

"C'mon, you guys. I appreciate your concern, but I'm not made of glass. I'm at least as sturdy as those professional victims that you were rescuing during the licensing exam, even without my powers!"

Of course, the gathered students were less than convinced by this argument, each glancing between one another, trying to think of another argument that would get the retired hero to back out of the exercise. Before they could, however...

"That being said..." All Might continued once more, his expression shifting into one of deadly seriousness, his intense gaze seeming to fix on all of them at once. "Feel free to use whatever's _really_ bothering you as motivation for completing this lesson in as realistic a manner as possible. Those you rescue in your day to day duties could have any number of hidden conditions, so it's always a good idea to keep those in mind and treat victims with care."

Once he finished saying that, the lanky teacher's smile returned as if it had never gone.

"In any case, you all have about ten minutes to prepare however you like while I get into place. Good luck!"

As All Might disappeared into the mock industrial complex, Class 2-A was left to stand there in stunned silence.

"Guys…" Kaminari whispered out, finally breaking the tense silence that had descended upon them. "I think he knows."

"More than that…" Iida added. "It sounds like he knows that _we_ know."

"Y-you don't think he did all this on purpose, do you?"

At that, the entire class turned their bewildered gazes over towards Todoroki.

"What do you mean by that?" Yaoyorozu questioned with an arched eyebrow.

"Well, think about it. He's clearly aware of his condition and is even using our knowledge of it as a part of this exercise. What if that was his plan all along? He could have touched Jirou's jacks on purpose to see if we'd figure it out on our own, and he could have asked Professor Shield and the other teachers to play dumb about it to assess how we handled it. This lesson may have started over a day ago and we never realized it."

Midoriya felt a chill run up his spine as Todoroki outlined his theory. And here he was the one that had interacted directly with their teachers about all this, meaning he was the one being scrutinized this whole time. Could they have even roped Melissa in on this deception, or where her frantic text messages the night before genuine? He tried to shake the sudden flood of anxiety from his head. In the end, the current situation remained the same; they had to rescue All Might from this scenario in such a way that it didn't harm him or his unborn baby. He had to admit, this was definitely a lesson that was going to stick with him.

"Alright, so… What's the plan..?"

At hearing such a hesitant question, Izuku glanced up to find that it was actually _Bakugo_ who'd asked it. His original idea of striking out on his own and stealing the show had apparently been abandoned the instant he learned that All Might himself would be the one they were rescuing. Even so, the explosive young hero couldn't quite bring himself to look the lot of them in the eye, clearly hating to be seen as willingly participating in such teamwork. Midoriya couldn't help but smile a bit to himself.

"Well, what I think we should do is this…"

* * *

Soon enough, the time for planning had ended, and the real test was finally underway. The twenty-one young heroes took off into the tangled industrial maze that was Training Ground Gamma, splitting off into predetermined groups and slipping quietly into the shadows. They'd quickly decided that the stealthy approach was best, noting that the villains would likely kill the VIP hostage if they knew there were so many heroes after them. All Might would have remained unharmed in such a case, but that would naturally resulted in a failing grade for them all. Midoriya ran straight ahead, followed closely by Sero, Shoji, Shinso, and Tokoyami. They suck to the shadows beneath the seemingly endless tangle of pipes, hoping to stay out of sight from any villains who happened to be keeping watch from a high vantage point.

 _'Midoriya, can you hear me?'_

Izuku flinched lightly at hearing the familiar voice of Jirou crackle to life in his ear. He hadn't quite gotten used to using the earpiece that he'd had Yaoyorozu make for each of them, but they were essential if they were hoping to coordinate themselves across such a vast and labyrinthine complex.

"Yeah, I hear you," he replied.

 _'I'm hearing three separate groups active in the area. I've sent Todoroki's team to the one in the east, and Uraraka's team is taking the one to the southwest. The third group is about half a kilometer ahead of your current position, about eleven o'clock. Tsuyu's team is heading to a central location to standby for assistance.'_

"Got it. Heading that way."

Midoriya directed his group to alter course slightly according to Jirou's direction. They paused occasionally in their search to allow Shoji to listen around their immediate vicinity for any enemy patrols, his webbed array of arms spread out to act as a radar dish to focus the sound. They continued like this for some time, making their way gradually through the complex. Occasionally, a report from one of the other groups came in over their earpieces.

 _'Uraraka here. We've found a group of hostages. Looks like Ectoplasm is using his clones as stand-ins for the factory workers. They're being guarded by Midnight. I don't see All Might anywhere.'_

"Alright, focus on taking out Midnight and don't let her alert the other villains."

 _'This is Todoroki. We've got a group of hostages here too, guarded by Aizawa. No sign of the VIP. We'll proceed the same as Uraraka's team.'_

With that last report, Midoriya could feel his heart starting to race all the quicker. That meant the group he and his team were after must be the one holding All Might. He resisted the urge to quicken his pace, knowing that they were likely to be caught if they got too careless.

"Hey, I've got movement up ahead," Shoji whispered back towards the rest of the group as they neared the spot Jirou had told them about. Midoriya glanced back towards Tokoyami, who nodded in understanding. Dark Shadow emerged from under its master's cloak, snaking its way along the shadows if the pipes towards where Shoji heard movement up ahead.

"Present Mic's up ahead. He seems to be guarding a building in the center of the complex," Tokoyami reported quietly as he received the information through his Dark Shadow.

"Can you see inside the building at all?" Midoriya asked.

"I'll try…" he replied, taking a moment to direct his specter. "Yes, I've found a window. I can see Snipe and Cementoss, and… They have All Might tied up inside."

Midoriya could feel his heart clench in his chest at that. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous. It was just a training exercise, and the other teachers would never do anything to hurt All Might, especially in his current state. He took a deep breath. Alright, he just had to make a plan, same as always. He reached up to activate his earpiece.

"Hey, Todoroki. What's your team's status?"

 _'We've managed to subdue Aizawa and are tending to the hostages.'_

"Good. I need you and Kacchan to head over to my location. We've located All Might, but there are too many villains here for us to handle on our own. Let Tsuyu's team take over and handle your hostages."

 _'Understood.'_

The next few moments were tense as the five of them awaited the arrival of their backup. It killed Midoriya to just sit there and do nothing when their rescue target was so tantalizingly close, but he knew that rushing in now would only serve to ruin all of his careful planning. He just had to be patient and wait for his classmates' arrival.

Finally, after several grueling minutes, the silence over their radio channel was broken.

 _'Alright, we're nearing the location.'_

"Good, we'll move in then. Head to the roof of the central building and wait for my signal," Midoriya replied before turning his attention towards Shinso. "Alright, your turn."

Shinso nodded his head, pulling his voice-modulating mask over his face as he advanced forward through the pipes as far as he dared.

"Hey, Hizashi," came Aizawa's voice from the teen's mask as he spoke. That immediately caught Mic's attention, and he peered out towards where the voice came from.

"Shouta? What'cha doin' all the way out he—urk!"

As the DJ's sentence was cut abruptly short, Shinso removed his mask and turned to the others.

"I've got him under my control. Let's tie him up to make sure he can't interfere. Make sure his mouth's completely covered."

"I'm on it!" Sero replied, launching out a strip of tape from his elbow and using it to pull him forward into the open. Once there, he spotted Present Mic right away. Their teacher was just standing there in a mindless trance, his eyes staring blankly forward. The teen made swift work of wrapping the 'villain' with his tape, taking care to tape over his captive's mouth, knowing it to be his most potent weapon. Once finished, he turned back towards his team and gave them a thumbs up.

Midoriya wasted no time. Making sure Shinso was close behind, he dashed forward towards the door of the building, leaping up at the last moment to drive a superpowered kick right through it. Once inside, he was able to spot the three teachers immediately. All Might was laying on his side on the ground, his hands bound behind his back, a strip of duck tape slapped haphazardly over his mouth. Snipe and Cementoss stood on either side of him, clearly taken aback by the sudden intrusion, but they sprung into action despite their surprise.

"Cut 'em off!" Snipe shouted out, to which Cementoss was quick to comply. He knelt down, placing his hands on the concrete floor. As soon as he did, a giant slab of concrete rose up to block off their entrance, trapping Sero and Tokoyami outside. Midoriya could already see more slabs starting to rise up from the floor, aiming to cut them off from the hostage they were trying to rescue. Before they could trap them completely, he grabbed hold of Shinso's wrist, digging his heels into the ground as he carefully controlled the power output in his arms. In the next instant, Shinso was launched through the air, just barely clearing the top of a fresh concrete barrier as it rose to cut off their attack. The brainwashing hero fixed Cementoss in his sights, unraveling his capture scarf from around his neck and throwing it out to ensnare his foe.

Meanwhile, Midoriya and Shoji weaved through the maze of concrete that the warehouse had become, trying to get to where they remembered All Might being. Luckily, they managed to get to him without interference.

"Kacchan, _now!_ " Izuku called out as soon as they were within arms' reach of their target. He scooped All Might up as gingerly as he could, taking care not to put pressure on the man's midsection as he did so. He passed the retired hero off to Shoji, who just barely managed to enclose his webbed arms around the both of them before an explosion rang out above their heads.

As the bright light of the outside world poured in, Midoriya looked up through the massive hole that had been blown through the ceiling. Bakugo and Todoroki were there, the latter preparing to jump down into the building to facilitate their escape. Before that step of the plan could get underway, however, Midoriya heard a sound that made his heart stop.

Ringing out from somewhere further back in the warehouse was the distinct sound of a gunshot. Midoriya's legs moved practically before he could fully process what was going on, and next thing he knew he was using his own body as a shield in front of Shoji and All Might. Before anything else could be done, a bullet came curving wildly around the concrete barriers that had been raised throughout the area. The young hero felt it slam into his chest with a sickening crack, the air knocked clean out of his lungs.

"Midoriya!" Todoroki called out as his classmate collapsed to his hands and knees, finally jumping down into the building.

"G-go!" Midoriya managed to wheeze out, still finding it hard to draw breath after the blow he'd taken. Todoroki seemed to hesitate for a moment, but eventually complied. The incapacitated young hero felt the wave of frigid air at his back as a pillar of ice rose up behind him, taking his classmates and their teacher up through the hole in the ceiling and off to safety.

* * *

"Congratulations, you've successfully rescued the VIP unharmed and even managed to secure all of the other hostages. You've passed… For the most part."

Aizawa's overview of the lesson's results was received with mixed feelings. Much of the class celebrated a job well done, albeit not as jubilantly as they normally might have. With the added stress of All Might's condition on their minds, most of them were just grateful that it was finally over. Midoriya in particular wasn't exactly about to jump for joy, being currently splayed out on the ground and struggling to breathe with what felt like a broken rib. Luckily his pain was short-lived, as Recovery Girl was called out there the instant they'd returned to the starting point outside Training Ground Gamma. One granny kiss later and the teen was back on his feet, but that didn't mean he was out of the woods just yet.

"Boy, I gotta say, what you did in there was dumb as bricks," Snipe scolded once Midoriya was healed of his injuries. "If I hadn't been usin' rubber bullets, you'd be dead to rights. I wasn't going for a lethal shot on the VIP, so that sacrifice of yours was a little overkill if you ask me."

Midoriya shrunk a bit at that, though his eyes drifted over towards the other teachers even as he was being reprimanded. Midnight had just helped All Might remove the bindings from his wrists, leaving his hands free to finally rip the duck tape off from over his mouth. Aside for looking like he was desperately resisting the urge to curse aloud at his last action, he seemed pretty much unharmed. Midoriya let out a sigh of relief. They seemed to have done it, at least.

"Snipe is correct," Aizawa continued. "If it wasn't for that one misstep, you'd all be getting perfect marks. Your planning and execution was impressive, and all of you showed a level of cooperation that we hadn't anticipated. However, we can't exactly call it a perfect extraction when one of the heroes is dead."

Midoriya couldn't help but furrow his brows at his teachers' assessment. Wait, was Snipe really aiming for All Might back then? And they were taking points _off_ for him blocking it the way he had? A hand moved up to clutch at the spot on his chest where he'd been shot by that rubber bullet, his blood feeling like it turned to ice as he imagined such a thing hitting All Might. No, it couldn't be… Were he and his classmates working on an incorrect assumption? Did the other teachers _really_ not know?

"Oh, come on now. Don't you think you're being a little harsh?" All Might interjected, still rubbing at the area around his mouth to alleviate the sting from ripping off the tape a moment ago. "After all, Young Midoriya wouldn't have been able to tell the exact trajectory of the bullet, especially considering how Snipe's Quirk works. Had he been aiming for my head or my chest, you'd both be commending the boy for a noble sacrifice right now. Given the circumstances, I think it's fair to say they all went above and beyond in this exercise."

Midoriya's eyes only seemed to widen in horror at that, his hands clamping over his mouth. The way All Might was talking, it almost sounded like he'd _expected_ to be shot at. But if that was the case…

"Yeah! You're being _super_ unfair!" came Ashido's voice from somewhere behind him, which only served to panic Midoriya more. No, she couldn't! Not like this!

"I mean, what would you have done if you hit him in the stomach? You could have hurt his baby! If anything, you should be giving Midoriya _extra_ points for doing what he did!"

The silence that followed was deafening. The rest of the class stood like frozen statues, their gaze drifting over towards their teachers. All of the adults seemed to be staring in slack-jawed astonishment, first at the students, then gradually over towards All Might himself. The retired hero, quite understandably, seemed the most shocked out of all of them, his shadowed eyes staring widely back at the young heroine that had finally blurted out the truth, his arms seeming to curl unconsciously around his lower abdomen.

"M-my _what..?"_


	15. The Consequences of Time

"Toshi?" Dave called out as he opened the door to his and All Might's apartment, a note of concern clear in his voice. He poked his head inside, glancing around the dimly-lit living room in search of his husband. He spotted him soon enough, sitting there on the couch with his elbows resting on his knees, his face buried in his hands. The scientist quickly slipped inside the room, dropping his bag by the door as he hurried over to his partner's side.

"Nezu said you took off in the middle of a class. Are you okay?"

All Might replied with a heavy sigh, never lifting his head from where it rested against his palms.

"Honestly, I'm not sure right now…"

That response was enough to cause a panic to rise in Dave. He knew that today had been the first big training exercise of the school year for those in the hero department, and he'd naturally been a little nervous about All Might taking part in it now that his Quirk was gone for good. At first he worried if something had gone wrong, but if the retired hero had gotten injured during class he'd be visiting him in Recovery Girl's office, not here at home.

"What happened?" Dave asked finally, at a complete loss for what could have put his husband in such a mood.

"It's a _really_ long story…" All Might groaned out reluctantly, not having the mental energy to recount the whole tale at the moment. Instead, he leaned forward to grab something off the coffee table, holding it out for Dave to take. "Here's the short version."

Dave was naturally confused by an answer like that, but took the small piece of plastic he was offered. It was a pregnancy test, a faded 'positive' result still visible on the readout. The scientist's eyes widened, his heart feeling like it was going to explode in his chest from the flood of raw emotion that hit him in that moment. It was hard to parse it all, but the one feeling that overwhelmed them all was shock.

All of a sudden it felt like the two of them were back in college again, sitting there in stunned silence when they found out for the first time that they'd be having Melissa. He remembered how, all those years ago, it had been a young Toshi who'd been the one to stand up and say it was going to be okay, that they could get through it and let themselves be happy about the news.

A lot had changed in the nineteen years since that moment. They were married now, neither having to worry about leaving the other anytime soon, all pretense of keeping their relationship a secret to keep Dave and Melissa safe now discarded. All Might was retired from his hero work, free to spend his days as he pleased now that his greatest foe was securely behind bars. The biggest change, however, was what was clearly bothering the old hero the most, at least if the way he anxiously clutched at the left side of his torso was anything to judge by.

"H-hey, it'll be okay…" Dave assured softly, resting a calming hand on his husband's shoulder. "We've gotten through this before, and it turned out just fine then."

"Yeah, but I was young, fit, and healthy back then. I'm exactly _none_ of those things anymore…" All Might replied, finally turning his worried gaze up from the ground and towards his partner. "You know I'd love to have another kid with you, but I just don't know if my body can handle it this time."

That was the part that Dave hadn't wanted to think about. His instincts were to deny that things had changed as much as they had, to think that All Might would be able to handle this ordeal the same as he had any other, but he knew that was unfair to his husband. It made it feel like a pit had formed in his stomach just to think about the consequences a pregnancy would have on his partner's broken and battle-scarred body, but he couldn't afford to live in denial over this. After all, he couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to his beloved Toshi because of something he'd ultimately inflicted upon him.

"Alright, well… We'll go talk with your doctor first thing tomorrow, okay? Nezu already said he can take over your classes if you need a few days off, and I don't have anything terribly important to go over with my students tomorrow that isn't written down for a substitute to take care of. We'll do everything to make sure you'll get through this in one piece, okay?"

"Y-yeah…" All Might replied to his husband's gentle reassurances with a less-than-enthusiastic sigh, his arms curling almost protectively around his midsection. "I'm just a little afraid of what they'll recommend…"

Dave's smile seemed to waiver at that. Yes, that was a very real possibility that they would have to consider, but until then he sincerely hoped that wasn't the case. In the meantime, all he could do was pull All Might into a close hug, running his fingers gently through his wild golden hair. He felt his husband's scrawny form relax ever so slightly in his arms, but a considerable amount of tension remained. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done about that until they saw the doctor the next day.

* * *

"Don't worry, I don't think you'll have any problems having the baby."

All Might couldn't help but blink in confusion for a moment as his doctor delivered her verdict on the situation. Had he heard that correctly? He could already feel a wave of tentative joy attempting to rise up in him upon hearing such news, but he resisted giving into it for now.

"R-really? Even with my old injuries?" he asked, a hand moving almost instinctively over to the massive spider web of scars on his left side. The doctor nodded, a gentle smile appearing across her lips.

"That will obviously complicate matters a bit, but so long as you're careful and we keep a close eye on you, it shouldn't be a problem. The biggest concerns I have would be making sure you get enough nutritional intake and oxygen for the baby to develop properly. I know you're already doing your best to keep up with both, but I might prescribe a little extra for you for the time being…"

With that, All Might watched as the doctor pulled out her most dreaded weapon; her prescription pad and pen. He couldn't help but let out a small whimper at that. Dammit, not more meds… He already had an entire shelf in the kitchen dedicated to all of the various supplements he had to put in his food just to maintain what body weight he had left, which made what little he was allowed to eat anymore taste even more bland and unappetizing. Aside from that, there was a whole slew of medications he had to take, and granted there were a couple he had to stop taking temporarily now that he was pregnant, but that didn't mean he was looking forward to having more to replace them.

Once she was done writing, she handed him several prescription slips. He glanced over them, not at all surprised to find that, yes, he'd have more nutritional supplements to deal with on a daily basis, as well as something else he'd been dreading.

"Finally forcing that damn oxygen tank on me, huh?" the retired hero asked sardonically. The doctor replied with a smile that just screamed 'sorry, not sorry.'

"I won't make you take it with you everywhere, but I want you to at least use it as often as you can at home. I know you've been resisting the idea for years, and I've indulged you until now, but don't you think having a healthy baby is worth the extra hassle for now?"

All Might let out a heavy sigh at that. He knew as well as anyone that what remained of his respiratory system was his weakest link, even more so than his lack of a stomach. He'd been able to adjust his diet over the years, unpleasant though it may have been, but there was no real adjustment that could be made for losing a lung. He'd kept as fit as he could in these past seven years since his near-fatal injuries, but the one thing he'd stubbornly refused was being tied down to an oxygen tank to make up for his respiratory deficiencies. Now that he wasn't doing hero work anymore, and especially now that there was another life depending on it, could he really afford to be so stubborn about it anymore?

Suddenly, he felt a hand grip his own, giving it a reassuring squeeze. All Might looked over to meet Dave's loving gaze, a gentle smile already on the scientist's face.

"I'm sure it won't be all that bad, Toshi. You need to take it easy for the next several months anyway, right? What if I promised to sit with you the entire time you've gotta be on the oxygen? We can watch a few movies together every night and it'll be over before you know it."

All Might couldn't stop himself from returning his husband's smile, threading his fingers between the other man's own. He knew Dave was trying his best to be as supportive as he could in such a stressful time, even though it was clear that he was worried to death over his and the baby's health. Perhaps now was the time for him to finally let himself relax a little and let his partner pamper him the way he clearly wanted to.

"Alright…" the old hero replied finally. "I suppose I can deal with it for a little while, at least."

* * *

Between the doctor's appointment and the running around the two of them had to do afterwards, it ended up close to dusk by the time All Might and Dave got home. The past two days had been a complete emotional rollercoaster, and now that he was finally able to stop and relax for a moment All Might felt like he was seconds away from collapsing. He flopped on his back onto his bed, almost not wanting to take the time to get undressed before giving in to sleep. He'd been far too restless the night before to get any real sleep, too busy worrying over whether or not he would be able to keep the baby. Now that he'd been assured that everything was going to be okay, the exhaustion of the past forty-eight hours hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Toshi, try not to fall asleep before you eat something, okay?"

All Might's eyes had nearly closed before he heard his husband's voice call out to him from the next room. That's right, they were out nearly all day, so he hadn't been able to eat anything for several hours. He didn't feel hunger anymore since he'd lost his stomach, so as diligent as he was about it, it sometimes slipped his mind to eat at the proper times when he was otherwise preoccupied.

He let out a reluctant sigh, already detecting the scent of fish chowder in the air as Dave was likely heating it up in the kitchen. It was probably his most preferred meal out of everything he could eat, but he feared what the new supplements would do to the taste once mixed in. Honestly, he would kill to be able to have a nice juicy steak again just one more time in his life, but he knew that wouldn't end well for him at all.

After a few minutes, All Might made his way out into the kitchen, where a small cup of creamy white soup waited for him at his usual spot at the table. Dave sat in the seat next to his, though he had a proper-sized bowl in front of him, a deeply apologetic smile on his face.

"That bad, is it?" the retired hero asked, instantly piecing together what must have happened. Dave had probably let curiosity get the better of him and tasted his husband's portion after mixing in all the new additives the doctor had prescribed.

"I-I mean, it's not… _inedible_ …" the scientist replied nervously, seeming to struggle to find a generous way to describe it without straying too far from the truth. "We can probably ask Lunch Rush if he can find a way to make this stuff more palatable for you."

"No, I don't want to bother him with something like this. He's got enough work to do serving the students every day without me asking him for special favors."

With that, All Might sat down in his seat and took up his spoon, taking a bite of his chowder with perhaps less hesitation than he ought to have approached it with. His face almost immediately deformed into a grimace, and he found that it was quite a chore convincing himself to swallow it. Once he finally did, he glared down at his soup with a newfound disdain, suddenly infinitely glad that he couldn't eat but a small portion at a given time.

"Yeah, we're talking to Lunch Rush tomorrow…"

* * *

After successfully choking down dinner, All Might wandered back into their bedroom to finally get changed out of his street clothes and curl up in bed. Dave joined him a few moments later, stripping down to his boxers before climbing under the covers. Almost as soon as he did so, he felt a pair of spindly arms wrap around him and pull him close. The scientist let a small smile rest on his lips, wrapping an arm around his husband's slender form to embrace him all the closer, raising his chin slightly to let All Might nuzzle affectionately against his neck.

"So…" Dave began tentatively once they were comfortably cuddled together. "Now that all _that_ is done with… I guess we should start planning for a baby soon, huh?"

All Might couldn't stop a smile from creeping across his face at that. That's right, they could let themselves enjoy the news now that the worst outcome had been eliminated.

"Yeah, I guess so. And at least I'll be able to actually help raise this one past the first few months."

Dave let out a light chuckle at that, giving All Might's arm a gentle stroke.

"See? It'll be kind of like making up for everything you missed with Melissa," he replied before something seemed to click in his mind. "Oh, that's right! We should probably tell Melissa the news, shouldn't we? I'm sure she'll be excited to hear that she's going to be a big sister soon."

"It might still be a little early to call her," All Might pointed out, trying to gently reign in his husband's newfound eagerness. "I wouldn't want to get her all worked up before she's got to go to class. We can call her in the morning before work. I'm sure she'll be winding down for the evening by then."

"Oh yeah, I forgot we still have to think about time zones when calling her…" Dave hummed thoughtfully. "Though, speaking of classes… You don't have any more lessons planned like the last one, do you? I don't think my heart could take worrying about you putting yourself in that kind of danger. Not that I didn't already worry about that a bit…"

Shit, he'd forgotten all about that… Truth be told, he did have quite a few more lessons planned along the same lines of his last rescue mission he'd put class 2-A through. He was hoping to continue being as hands-on as possible in his classes this year, his Quirkless state be damned. His students' actions in the last one made it quite clear that he could trust them to keep both him and his unborn baby safe in such situations, but was it right to distract them with something like that going forward? And could he trust that something unexpected wouldn't happen if he tempted fate that way? He shuddered lightly at the thought of something going awry.

"W-well… Perhaps there are a few that I can rethink a little…" All Might mumbled somewhat bashfully, his fingers playing idly at the soft blanket of thick brown fuzz that stretched across Dave's chest. "I'd feel bad asking one of the other teachers to stand in for me all the time, but I guess it can't be helped unless I completely rethink my entire lesson plan for the rest of the year… Damn, and I tried so hard to be prepared this time…"

"Hey, don't worry too much over all that," Dave assured softly, hugging the retired hero close and nuzzling gently against the top of his head. "I'm sure the other teachers would be more than happy to help you, given the circumstances. Just take it easy, okay? There's no need to worry yourself to death over something like this."

All Might let out a sigh at that. Perhaps Dave was right. He could figure out a way to salvage his lessons for the year. For now, perhaps he could simply let himself be content with the fact that he and his husband were finally going to be able to have a family together the way they'd always wanted.


	16. Home Sweet Home

All Might let out a small grunt of effort as he attempted to fasten the button of his suit pants – emphasis on 'attempt.' A slight blush of embarrassment spread across his cheeks when he found that he couldn't quite get the waistband closed. He gave a small huff of frustration, his hands falling to his sides in defeat as he stared down at himself. It had only been a few weeks since he'd found out he was pregnant, yet his lower abdomen already sported a distinct bump that refused to be hidden any longer.

Thinking back to the first time he'd gone through this, he couldn't recall showing like this so early on. Of course, he'd been built like a tank back then. It was kind of hard to see his early baby bump against all that muscle. Now he was thin as a rail, and even a pound of added weight made for a glaringly obvious change. Not that he minded how he looked anymore, but such rapid change did cause some awkward situations…

"Toshi? You okay?"

All Might glanced up when he heard his name being called, spotting Dave as he peeked around the corner from the bathroom, still in the middle of running a comb through his unruly hair. He replied to his husband's concern with a nervous smile.

"A-ah… I'm fine, it's just… M-my clothes are starting not to fit me already…" he admitted bashfully, still having to hold his pants up. Dave's eyes wandered down towards the retired hero's midsection, easily spotting the gentle bulge barely hiding under his white button-down shirt.

"Ah, I see," the scientist replied, giving his husband a soft smile. He then made his way over to the closet, opening it up and digging something out of a seldom-used corner. All Might watched as he returned to him with a few pairs of pants folded up neatly in his arms, instantly recognizing the fabric. They were pants from the suits he used to wear before he retired, back when he could only present himself publicly in his muscle form. Now that he couldn't maintain that form for longer than a minute, he didn't bother wearing something that looked so comically large on his scrawny frame. He'd had what clothes he cared for altered to fit him properly, or otherwise simply bought new clothes.

"I figured you'd still want to dress nicely at work, so I went ahead and altered some of your old suits that I found in the closet. I hope you don't mind."

All Might took one of the pairs of pants he was offered, unfolding it to have a look. The legs had been slimmed down to not look so baggy on him, but the biggest alteration seemed to be at the waist. The button and zipper were more or less just for show, the front sewn shut. The waistband was made of cleverly disguised elastic, and there were hidden spots on the sides where it could be adjusted to allow for his expanding belly in later months. Every new stitch held the familiar care of his husband's expert tailoring.

"Babe, you're an absolute lifesaver," he sighed in relief, leaning over to give Dave a quick kiss on the lips before finishing his task of getting dressed for work.

* * *

The teacher's apartments had been built as a separate section of the student dorms, so the pair's trip to work was a simple five-minute walk across the U.A. campus to the main building. They arrived at the staff room with plenty of time left before class was set to start, yet even so they seemed to be among the last to arrive. Before they could make their way over towards their desks, the two of them were ambushed by Midnight, who flashed a happy grin up at them.

"Hey guys, how was your weekend? Are you feeling better, All Might?"

The retired hero blinked in mild confusion at that.

"Feeling better? What do you mean?"

"Well, you guys keep skipping out on our weekend hangouts, so I just assumed the baby was making you sick. Isn't that why you've been staying home?"

"A-ah, so that's it…" All Might commented mostly to himself. "Well… I wouldn't want to seem rude by coming along when I can't drink. I didn't want to ruin everyone's good time by just sitting on the sidelines…"

At that, Midnight's expression morphed into a slight pout.

"Jeez, the way you're talking almost sounds like you expected me to _make_ you drink or something!"

"A safe assumption, if you ask me."

With that, the three's attention was redirected over to where Aizawa was quietly preparing his lessons for the day over at his desk. Midnight's offended pout only seemed to deepen.

"Oh, come on! How irresponsible do you think I am? I'd never force someone to drink like that!"

"Yeah, maybe when you're _sober_ ," Present Mic chimed in, peeking up over his computer monitor to stare at the R-Rated Hero like a man who had seen war. "As soon as you're drunk, there's no telling with you! I still feel sick just _thinking_ about the last concoction you forced down my throat, yo!"

"Yeah, but that was _you_ , not All Might," Midnight retorted evenly, setting her hands on her hips. "I can be good around him for a while. Besides, they won't be able to hang out with us anymore after the baby's born. Shouldn't we help them have as much fun as they can get before they're stuck at home every night?"

"That's all well and good, but maybe you should pick activities he can _actually participate in_ rather than defaulting to the bar all the time," Aizawa countered.

"Yo, we should start doing karaoke instead!" Mic suggested enthusiastically. "Ectoplasm's always asking us to come along with him on his outings, and this seems like as good a time as any to take him up on that offer!"

"A-ah, that's really not necessary…" All Might replied somewhat meekly. "I don't have any need for added excitement on the weekends, so there's really no need to go out of your way to accommodate me…"

"You say that now, but don't you come crying to me when you can't do anything fun anymore because you have to stay at home with a baby all the time!"

At that, Dave let out an amused chuckle.

"Midnight, we've had a kid before, we know what we're getting ourselves into. Besides, it's not nearly so bad as you make it out to be."

"Though, speaking of 'staying at home,' that does remind me…" Aizawa interjected, finally looking up from his computer to properly enter the conversation. "How are you going to manage to raise a kid in a one-bedroom apartment? Nezu said we'd have to live on-campus until the League of Villains are destroyed or stop targeting active U.A. students. If we don't manage to eradicate the League before Class 2-A graduates, that means you could be stuck here for another two years at least."

All Might wasn't entirely sure how to answer that. It wasn't as though he and Dave hadn't talked about that very subject – heck, it was one of the first things they'd discussed at length once the news that they'd be parents again finally settled in – but they hadn't come up with a suitable solution yet. Even the apartment they rented as college students back in Los Angeles had two bedrooms and plenty of room for the two of them and a young Melissa. The teachers' apartments, on the other hand… They weren't built for more than one person per unit, so even just two adults sharing one made for rather cozy living. Adding a baby into the mix seemed a bit much indeed.

"Yes, this is an interesting predicament, isn't it?"

Everyone instinctively looked down when the familiar cheer of the principal's voice piped up into the discussion. The diminutive rodent greeted the gathered teachers with his usual chipper smile, gazing up at All Might in particular.

"I had the dorms constructed to ensure the safety of students and teachers alike, but it seems such a living arrangement is no longer suitable for you and your growing family. That being said, you happen to be the one teacher most at risk if left without protection, so I must vehemently advise against relocating to a residence outside of U.A.'s walls."

"Then… What do you suggest we do?" Dave asked hesitantly.

"Well, I do have one potential solution in mind. If you'd like to hear it, you're welcome to join me in the teacher's lounge."

Moments later, the two of them found themselves sitting on the couch across from Nezu in the teacher's lounge, a cup of green tea setting on the coffee table in front of each of them. Neither of them was entirely sure what to expect, but what the principal suggested next certainly wasn't it.

"Now, it seems to me that the only acceptable solution is to construct a larger residence for the two of you here on campus, don't you think?"

"Wh-what?!" Dave exclaimed in shock. "That's an incredibly generous offer, sir, but… Isn't that a bit excessive?"

"I-I agree," All Might chimed in. "I couldn't ask you to do something like that just for us. We're just two teachers, after all, and it'd seem a bit unfair to give us special lodgings over all the others."

"Nonsense!" Nezu retorted, his cheery smile never disappearing from his face. "All Might, after all you've done for U.A., for Japan, and indeed the world, giving you and your family your own space here on the campus seems like the least we could do to repay all of your tireless efforts over the years. I don't think there'd be a single one of your fellow teachers that would disagree. Besides, the school owns plenty of land that isn't currently in use, so you wouldn't be taking anything away from the students if we built one small building just for you."

All Might couldn't stop his cheeks from flushing lightly in embarrassment at hearing all of that. He always felt a little guilty accepting gifts, especially one as big as this, but… A hand drifted subconsciously to rub at his midsection. He still felt bad that he was never there for Dave and Melissa for all those years, so he wouldn't deny that he was especially motivated to make sure this new child had everything they could ever want or need. He knew he couldn't do that in a cramped one-bedroom apartment, so…

"Alright, I suppose I can't really turn down something like that, given the circumstances," the retired hero gave in with a small sigh. "But only on one condition; _I'll_ pay for it. I don't want any funds from the school going to something like this."

"That seems fair," the principal replied with a nod of his head. "In that case, just let me know if there's anything specific you need in your new home and I'll make sure it gets built to your specifications."

* * *

The school day progressed without incident after that. All Might and Dave met in the teacher's lounge for lunch like usual, which was made far more enjoyable after Lunch Rush worked his magic and made the retired hero's food actually taste good. After that, they parted to attend to their separate classes. All Might had made sure to restructure his lessons to ensure he wouldn't be physically involved with any of them anymore. The most he did was watch from the sidelines and assess his students from afar – much to everyone's relief.

Once classes were over, All Might and Dave met up to walk back to the teacher's building of Heights Alliance together as they usually did. They made their way inside to the large common-room area that made up the first floor, but before they could head upstairs to their room…

"Principal Nezu?" All Might questioned, his brows furrowing at the sight of their boss approaching them after work like that. "What are you doing here, sir?"

The small rodent flicked his tail back and forth in amusement, though his face was as calm and cheery as ever.

"I suppose I should be asking you that, shouldn't I? After all, last time I checked, the two of you don't live here anymore."

"W-wait, what?" Dave asked in utter confusion, looking between his husband and their boss for some kind of explanation. Unfortunately, All Might had none, looking equally as bewildered as the shorter man. Finally, Nezu let out a small chuckle, holding a paw out to direct their attention towards the door on the opposite side of the room from the one they'd come in through.

"If you'll follow me, I'll direct you to your new home!"

At that, the two of them couldn't help but widen their eyes in utter shock.

"Y-you can't be serious! There's no way you could have had the house built already! We only just talked about it this morning!" Dave exclaimed incredulously, his glasses slipping unimpeded down the bridge of his nose a bit. Nezu let out another amused chuckle at the scientist's reaction.

"The entirety of the Heights Alliance complex was built in just three days following the Kamino incident, so really something like a single-family house is simplicity itself by comparison."

"Even so, there was no need to rush it through in less than a day. We would have gladly waited. It's not like I'm having the kid tomorrow…" All Might replied, considerably calmer about the whole situation than his husband was. After all, he'd grown used to this sort of thing at U.A. back when he was a student himself. Even so, Nezu merely shook his head at the retired hero's argument.

"Why put off 'til tomorrow what you can get done today? Besides, what's done is done, so there's really no point in debating the issue. The only thing to be done now is for the two of you to have a look at your new home. Don't worry about packing. We've already taken the liberty of moving your belongings over there for you."

All Might and Dave couldn't help but glance at one another to see how the other felt about all this, but they didn't seem to have any arguments left. They followed Nezu out the back door of the teacher's dorms, revealing a decent-sized two-story house just down a short path from Heights Alliance. It barely took a minute to make it over there, meaning their walk across campus to work would hardly increase at all. Once inside, the two were quite surprised to find that it already contained everything they could ever need inside, from furniture to appliances. It was even built in such a way that All Might didn't have to duck at all to keep from hitting his head on the tops of doorways – a great relief, since he'd forgotten to make that particular request. He should have known Nezu would think of everything.

The entire house was like something out of a dream. It was the exact kind of place they'd always talked about getting since college. It had more or less been an unattainable fantasy back then, and though they'd sat down to give the subject some serious discussion since they got engaged it still felt wild that, out of the blue, they had their own house now. Dave seemed particularly amazed at how big and open everything was. He'd only ever lived in apartments his whole life, even after he became a big name in the engineering world.

"Wait…" Dave said, stopping in front of a particular door as they explored the first floor. "I don't remember there being a room here in the plans we gave Nezu… Did they add one by mistake?"

"Ah, so that's where they put it," All Might mumbled mostly to himself, a small smile spreading across his lips as he came to a stop behind his husband. "I went back to ask Nezu to include this in the plans after you left to start your class. Sorry for not talking to you about it first, but I wanted it to be a surprise."

That explanation only served to both confuse and intrigue Dave further. What sort of room could All Might have had built just for him? Now quite eager to find out, he slid open the door to see what could be hiding behind. What greeted him was a space that was part lab and part engineering workshop, stocked with all the equipment he could ever need for his personal projects. Dave's eyes widened in surprise behind his glasses as he took it all in.

"T-Toshi, this is…" he whispered out, trailing off before he could complete his thought.

"I know you get restless if you don't have something to tinker with, so I thought it would be nice for you to have your own space to do that. I know it's not I-Island, but… Hopefully it's enough."

" _'Enough?!'_ Toshi, this… Th-this lab probably cost more than the rest of the house! You didn't have to do this just for me!"

All Might dismissed his husband's worries with a light chuckle, leaning down to wrap his long, slender arms around his shoulders.

"I told you when we got married that we didn't have to worry about money, right? Trust me, even something like this doesn't even come close to breaking the bank. Besides…" the retired hero's voice softened ever so slightly as he nuzzled his cheek against the shorter man's soft brown hair. "If it's our house, I want it to have everything you could ever want in it."

"What about you?" Dave asked, turning around in All Might's arms to face him, his arms reaching up to wrap lovingly around the much taller man's neck. "If you had all this built for me, then I sure as hell hope you put in an addition you wanted too."

All Might merely replied with a soft smile.

"As long as I have you and the kids, I've got everything I could ever want."


	17. Seven Years

"Toshi, why don't you take a break? There's no need to get all that graded this early into summer vacation."

All Might glanced up in time to watch Dave set a glass down on the end table next to where he sat on the couch, the familiar chocolatey scent of the protein shake contained within already making his mouth water. He smiled up at his husband, not resisting as the papers he was holding were gently taken from his grasp and set on the coffee table.

"Does that mean I can take a break from this thing too?" he asked, pointing to the thin tube of clear plastic running across the middle of his face. Dave let out a small sigh but relented almost immediately.

"Well, I suppose you've been good about using it lately. Only for an hour though, okay?"

At that, All Might's smile seemed to brighten considerably, and he eagerly tugged at the oxygen line until it pulled free from behind his ears. He let it rest over the arm of the couch and grabbed his shake, automatically snuggling up against his husband's side when he took a seat next to him. Dave wrapped an arm around him, his thumb stroking lovingly against the side of the slender man's largely swollen belly.

"Well, if nothing else, at least the past few years have taught you how to relax a little. I used to have to find creative ways to wear you out before you'd sit still this long," the scientist teased lightly. All Might replied with a chuckle.

"Damn, sounds like I've been behaving myself too much lately. I would have liked to see what you'd come up with to wear me out now."

Dave couldn't stop the smirk that spread across his lips at that.

"Oh, don't tempt me. I've got a few ideas…" he whispered suggestively just next to the retired hero's ear before giving his neck a playful nibble. All Might let out another light chuckle, tilting his head to the side to allow Dave better access. Unfortunately, the scientist had barely managed to trail gentle bites down to a slender collarbone before a distinct chiming sound interrupted their activities. They both seemed to let out a disappointed groan practically in unison at the sound of the doorbell.

"That must be Nezu. The kids are all off training with Aizawa, so it can't be one of them," All Might speculated, letting out a small grunt as he attempted to hoist himself up off the couch. Before he could get his legs under him, however, he felt his husband's hand on his shoulder pressing him back down into his seat.

"I'll get it," Dave replied with an apologetic smile before heading over towards the door. All Might let out a small sigh, but didn't argue, instead raising his glass to his lips to sip at his drink as he watched his husband disappear around the corner. After he heard the door swing open, however…

"N-Nighteye! What brings you out here?"

That surprised exclamation was enough to make All Might choke slightly on his shake. His subsequent coughing fit wasn't exactly an unusual sound, so he was spared having Dave rush back to him in a panic. That at least gave him a second to compose himself and think for a moment. He ended up repeating his husband's initial inquiry in his head as he recovered. What the hell was Sir Nighteye doing here?! In the past seven years, the two of them had only seen each other face-to-face twice, both of them too stubborn to face the other after their falling out, but now… To have his old sidekick just show up at his home out of the blue like this was baffling to say the least.

"My apologies for coming over without notice, but Mirio insisted I have you look at my arm as soon as possible."

All Might couldn't help but glance up when he heard his old colleague's voice, spotting the slender man as he emerged from around the corner – walking again, finally, albeit with the assistance of a cane. He still wore the same old light gray suit he always had, though he seemed to be struggling to fill it out as well as he used to. His cheeks were beginning to hollow inward, leaving his facial features pointier than ever, and he seemed tired. All Might felt a chill run up his spine. He'd forgotten how rough that first year after his own devastating injuries had been.

"Your arm? What seems to be the matter with it?" Dave asked as he emerged after the former hero, Mirio tagging along just behind. Sir held out his left hand for the scientist to inspect, a brief flash of sunlight gleaming off the naked metal.

"The index finger keeps locking up, but I can't find anything that could be stuck inside the mechanisms."

Dave gingerly took hold of the hand that was offered to him, spreading the fingers and testing the joints, his eyebrows furrowing when he seemed to confirm Nighteye's assessment.

"Could be a malfunctioning servo. It shouldn't take long to replace, but I'll need to, uhh…"

Even as Dave seemed to struggle to complete his request, Nighteye complied, rolling up his sleeve. The scientist hesitantly reached up to where metal met flesh, twisting the prosthetic arm until it came free from the connector. All Might watched with quiet interest. One of his husband's first projects after moving to Japan was the design of his old sidekick's prosthetic arm, as well as an artificial section of spine. It was the sort of thing he was always very good at; impossibly intricate mechanisms and neural interfaces. Artificial internal organs, on the other hand, were a bit out of Dave's wheelhouse. Nighteye still needed a pair of donated kidneys, but ironically enough he was still left without a stomach.

This wasn't the first time Nighteye had come by for an adjustment, but it had never been out of the blue like this. He'd normally call ahead and give a few hours warning or ask Mirio to do it – the boy had been acting as an assistant for his mentor since they still hadn't managed to restore his Quirk yet. In any case, it usually gave All Might just enough warning to be conspicuously absent whenever his former partner came around campus. Before he got pregnant, he could simply go jogging to avoid running into him or find some business to attend to back at his own hero agency if he couldn't use his teaching as an excuse. Now, he wasn't sure how he could find a clever way to escape without being obvious that he was avoiding him.

"Why don't you have a seat with Toshi while I fix this up for you? Mirio, could you come give me a hand?"

"A-actually, I could come help you," All Might interjected suddenly, jumping at the opportunity to weasel his way out of having to sit there awkwardly with the younger man. Before he could even attempt to get up, he felt the end of a cane pressing against his shoulder to keep him in his seat. He glanced up, meeting the familiar intense gaze of a pair of golden eyes.

"You should be resting, shouldn't you?" Nighteye asked rhetorically, though his tone of voice made it clear that he wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer. All Might instinctively glanced over towards Dave, who could only seem to offer him an apologetic smile before disappearing off into his lab with Mirio. Only when the sound of the lab door closing could be heard did Nighteye finally release him. He rubbed lightly at his shoulder as he watched the other hobble his way over to the couch opposite of where he sat.

"You're still avoiding me," Nighteye commented once he settled himself into his seat, resting his cane on the coffee table between them, making sure not to disturb the stack of school papers resting on its surface. All Might let out a sigh.

"I just didn't want to get into another argument with you," he replied. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't exactly the whole story. Not that his former sidekick needed the rest of it explained to him. Nighteye merely stared at him, his gaze as piercing as ever.

"I suppose you don't need the extra stress right now."

All Might's hand instinctively moved to rub at his swollen abdomen. He'd always been a bit curious how his old sidekick would treat him if he'd ever seen him like that. His guess had always been a toss up between "with kid gloves" and "harsher and more insistent than ever." It seemed the clairvoyant himself had a hard time deciding which approach to take.

"I must say, this life seems to suit you. I'm glad to see you're finally taking it easy after all these years. Honestly, I was half afraid that husband of yours would continue trying to enable you. I'm pleasantly surprised to find you're not stubbornly coming out of retirement with one of his inventions strapped to you."

All Might couldn't help but let out an exasperated sigh. Well, it certainly didn't take long to get on that old subject again, did it?

"If you recall, I _did_ decide to retire all on my own, before he came here to Japan. I know what my limits are."

"Yet I seem to remember that you were nearly crushed to death by falling debris last December when you lept in to save some woman during a villain attack."

The retired hero cursed inwardly at that retort, unsure how he could explain that one away in a satisfactory manner. It was true, he'd likely be dead if it wasn't for young Bakugo intervening to save both his and that woman's life, but what else was he supposed to do? Stand by and potentially watch her die? He couldn't do that, even if he could stop his body from acting on its own to leap into action on instinct.

"Look… If you want me to say you were right all along, then fine. You were right. You were right to worry about me, you were right to tell me to retire early… You were right about everything. I'm sorry I didn't listen, but at the same time I don't regret a single thing I did."

"I'm not looking to say 'I told you so,'" Nighteye replied firmly. "I never cared about being right, or even you admitting it. This entire time, all I wanted was for you to be happy."

"I _am_ happy."

"You're happy _now_. In the five years that I've worked with you, I can't remember a time when I saw you genuinely happy, and I highly doubt that improved at all after your injuries. It always seemed like there was something missing. Now you have David here with you, and you're finally able to be a father to Melissa, not to mention your new baby on the way… And I've never seen you happier. It occurs to me that you could have had all this seven years earlier if only you listened to me."

"That couldn't have happened and you know it," All Might retorted, his hand rubbing somewhat anxiously at his belly. "All For One wasn't dead. If I had brought Dave and Melissa here back then, you know exactly what he would have done to them…"

Nighteye let out a resigned sigh.

"I suppose, but… Now I can't help but wonder if you'll have enough time with them after everything that's happened. It _has_ been seven years, after all…"

A somber silence descended upon them after that. Seven years… That had been the maximum amount of time All Might had left after his first battle with All For One, according to Sir Nighteye's Prediction Quirk. Ironically enough, it had been that very prediction, the assurance that he only had a limited amount of time left to do as much as he could, that had spurred him on to continue his hero work in spite of his injuries. He wondered if there was a chance he could have been swayed if he hadn't been told of such a time limit. But that was the past, and it was useless to argue over what could have been.

The future was another matter entirely. His seven years were nearly gone, and right when everything seemed to finally be going right in his life. He'd stopped worrying about that prediction over the past year, finding a newfound determination to defy fate in the promise to live and raise his young successor. Now that it was brought up again, however… His hand seemed to clutch protectively at his shirt as he felt his unborn son shift and kick inside him. Could he be doomed to missing yet another of his children's lives?

Soon after their conversation died and they were left with that awkward silence, the door to Dave's lab swung open. The scientist emerged with Nighteye's newly repaired prosthetic tucked under one arm, Mirio following closely behind.

"Sorry that took so long, but I'm pretty sure I fixed the problem."

"Not at all. I'm actually surprised at how quickly you managed to finish it all," Nighteye replied, giving the other man a rare, albeit very slight, smile of gratitude. All Might watched in distracted silence as Dave helped reattach the robotic prosthetic to Sir's arm, having him test its functions to ensure that everything was in working order. Once both men were satisfied, Nighteye took up his cane and made to leave.

"I wasn't right about _everything_ , you know."

All Might glanced up when he heard his old sidekick address him once more, finding that the man had hardly taken two steps away before stopping.

"I was wrong about Midoriya. He was exactly the right choice. Exactly like _you_. If I'd had my way, your 'legacy' would be gone for good. In that regard, if nothing else, I should have trusted your judgement."

* * *

For the rest of the day, All Might found that he couldn't get his talk with Nighteye out of his head. Where he'd been quietly grading papers before, now he couldn't concentrate on them at all, instead finding himself staring blankly at the same sheet of paper for damn near an hour while not absorbing a single word written on its surface. Nighteye's prediction… Had enough been changed for him to avoid the gruesome death that had been promised to him? And if not, how long did he have left? Would he be able to avoid it until after he had the baby, or would fate prove especially cruel and take his son along with him?

He felt his blood turn to ice at that last thought. No, at the very least he had to do everything in his power to ensure that he lived long enough to safely have the baby. Or even unsafely, he didn't really care about himself at this point. He'd let everyone be as overprotective as they wanted for the next four months as long as the baby was okay in the end. He didn't want to die after that, of course, but if it was one or the other…

"You doing okay, Toshi? You've been staring at that one paper so hard that I'm surprised you haven't burned a hole through it. Surely Kirishima's handwriting isn't _that_ hard to decipher."

All Might glanced up when he heard his husband coming in to check on him again. He flashed Dave a small smile that he knew wouldn't fool anyone.

"I-I'm fine. I've just… I've got a headache, is all…"

"I told you before that you don't have to finish those right away. You've got the rest of the summer to work on them," Dave replied softly, once again taking a seat next to him on the couch. All Might merely gave a small hum of acknowledgement, though he continued stubbornly staring at the paper without actually reading it. He then heard Dave let out a sigh.

"Are you sure you're alright? You've just seemed so miserable ever since you talked to Nighteye…"

All Might just barely managed to keep from flinching at that observation. Along with the truth of One For All, he'd never told his husband about Sir's prediction of his death. He just couldn't, especially now. Telling him would cause nothing but pain when they were supposed to be nothing but happy. Even if he did die as predicted, what was the point in worrying Dave over it? He'd die whether he knew about it beforehand or not, and the only thing that would change would be how they handled their last few months together. He already knew how Dave would take it. He'd be in denial at first, then be thrown into panic and despair. He'd probably try something even more foolish than his stunt that brought his career on I-Island to a crashing halt, desperate to do something – _anything_ – to try to save his partner's life at all costs. No, he couldn't tell him. If it was inevitable anyway, it was best to just let him be blissfully ignorant for the remainder of their time together.

"It's fine, really. It's probably just the hormones messing with me again. You remember how much of a crybaby it made me when I was pregnant with Melissa," All Might attempted to explain his behavior away lightly, giving a small chuckle. As he feared, however, Dave was able to see through that fake laugh and fake smile in an instant. Suddenly, All Might felt himself being pulled into a tight hug, causing the paper in his hand to flutter to the ground.

"I-I'm sorry, Toshi… If I'd known it would have upset you this much, I would have never have had Nighteye come over like this…" Dave apologized, his voice muffled slightly against All Might's shoulder. The old hero furrowed his brow in confusion.

"What do you mean? I thought he came over because of the broken bit in his arm…"

At that, he felt Dave flinch slightly against him, as though realizing he'd said something he shouldn't have. After a moment, he looked up at the retired hero, a guilty look already plastered on his face.

"I-I… I might have known he was coming over beforehand…" he confessed with a heavy sigh. "I got together with Mirio and we came up with this plan to get the two of you together to talk. We knew neither of you would do it on your own, so I gave the kid a small magnet and told him where to hide it in Nighteye's arm to make it look like the servo was malfunctioning. We thought this was the only real chance there was to try to get you two on speaking terms again, but… I guess that backfired, huh?"

All Might almost couldn't believe what he was hearing. Had Dave really set all this up to get him and Nighteye on friendly terms again? Despite the obvious subterfuge, he couldn't stop the smile that spread across his lips. He wrapped his arms around Dave's shoulders, running his fingers through his soft brown hair.

"Thanks for trying, babe, but… Something like this can't be fixed in a day."


	18. Stubborn

"Toshi? You gonna get up?"

All Might let out a small groan as he felt a hand stroking his shoulder to wake him, accompanied by his husband's gentle voice. He reluctantly turned away from his pillow, cracking open one eye to stare groggily up at Dave. The scientist looked as though he was halfway through getting dressed for the day, his shirt hanging unbuttoned over his fuzzy chest. He flashed him a smile once he saw that the former hero was waking up.

"You know you don't have to go to work if you don't feel up to it. Nezu said your substitute's ready to take your place and you can start your maternity leave any time you want."

All Might let out a small sigh but returned his husband's smile. This wasn't a new conversation by any means. Dave had made a point to remind him of such things practically every day since the start of October. It was already the beginning of November, the months since Sir Nighteye's visit having flown by without pause. That always seemed to be the way it went whenever he wanted to savor the time he had left with his family…

"Alright, fine…" the retired hero gave in after nearly a month of stubborn protest. Dave clearly wasn't expecting to have swayed him so easily – or at all, really – having already opened his mouth to try to persuade him into seeing reason. He quickly shut it again, staring down at his partner as though unsure he had heard him properly.

"W-wait, really?" he stammered out in disbelief. All Might replied with an amused chuckle.

"Yeah, I'll go on leave… _After_ today, though."

"Toshi…" Dave retorted in exasperation, his tone almost scolding.

"What? C'mon, babe, it's Friday. I may as well finish out the week and give my replacement more than just an hour's warning. After my classes are over, I'll go talk to Nezu and let him know. I'm sure he'd be too eager to kick me out if I went to tell him beforehand."

At that, Dave let out a sigh of defeat.

"Alright, alright… But I'm taking you to the hospital first thing tomorrow morning, okay?

"Okay, now you're _definitely_ being a little overprotective," the retired hero teased lightly. "I don't need to go to the hospital just yet. I'm not due for another couple of weeks."

As he spoke, All Might maneuvered himself up into a sitting position in bed, his full-term belly proving difficult to move with. Of course, always eager to prove his mother wrong, the baby responded to the sudden shift in position by kicking him right in his surgical scars. He couldn't stifle his reactionary gasp of pain, nor could he stop himself from clutching at his left side. Dave was quick to react, wrapping an arm around his gravid husband's back to support him, his free hand gently massaging those old scars to try to help alleviate some of the pain.

"Yeah, well, according to our son you don't have as long as you think, and last I checked _he's_ the one setting the schedule here. If he's moved into a position where he can kick at your old wound, then you've got _days_ at best."

All Might let his shoulders slump in defeat at that, glaring down at his hugely swollen abdomen once the pain had begun to ease.

"What did I say about snitching on your poor old dad? That's it, you're grounded, young man! Stay in your room until your birthday!"

Dave found that he couldn't keep from chuckling lightly at that despite how serious he wanted to be about the matter. Still, he shook his head at his husband's antics.

"I'm serious, Toshi. We can't take any chances with your health the way it is. We don't have Gran Torino here to get you to the hospital if something happens while I'm at work this time. Please, just do this for my peace of mind if nothing else. And make sure to let one of the other teachers know right away if you start to feel off in any way."

"Yeah, yeah, I know the drill. Honestly, I'm surprised you aren't going bald with how much you worry about me all the time," All Might replied with a small smirk, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and holding out a hand to his husband.

"Can you really blame me? For the past twenty years, you've done nothing but throw yourself headlong into danger. Why do you think I went out of my way to make all of your hero costumes as indestructible as possible? It's probably the only thing that's saved my hair at this point," Dave replied with a light chuckle, taking the slender hand that was offered to him without any more prompting.

What followed could have been mistaken for a well-choreographed dance, the scientist bracing his arm around the pregnant hero's lower back and helping pull him to his feet all in one fluid motion. After pausing just long enough to plant a quick kiss on the taller man's lips, he then immediately set off gathering a set of clothes for his partner, already well aware that there was no way he could bend down far enough to search their dresser drawers himself. He eventually came back with a pair of dark comfortable pants and a tan knit sweater, the former hero's usual suits having been abandoned due to the cold weather and how rapidly his belly had grown.

"Just shout if you need any help getting dressed, okay?" Dave called after him as All Might waddled his way into the bathroom.

"You say 'if' as though I haven't needed your help getting my pants on for the past week already," he called back half-jokingly before closing the door behind him.

* * *

By some miracle, the two managed to get to work on time despite their late start to the day. This only really mattered for Dave, since he was a homeroom teacher and needed to be in the classroom as soon as school started. All Might, on the other hand, spent much of the first half of the day in the staff room working at his computer. Normally he'd do everything in his power to avoid doing such tedious paperwork, but he seemed able to make an exception if it enabled his stubbornness.

After a lunch that consisted mostly of his husband trying to convince him to call it quits and leave work early, he gave himself a little extra time to make his way out to the training grounds – with Aizawa at his side as an escort, of course. He could tell his fellow teacher was mildly annoyed at how slow he was today, but he was keeping quiet about it. Of course, much like Dave, if the erasure hero had his way All Might wouldn't be at school at all in the state he was in, but at least he seemed to realize the futility of trying to argue with him about it.

By the time the two teachers made it to the training ground, they found that class 2-A had already arrived and were waiting there for them. Practically the instant the students spotted them, All Might found himself suddenly surrounded by a crowd concerned teenagers.

"H-hey, All Might! H-how are you feeling today?" came Midoriya's familiar stammering.

"Is it okay for you to be out here like this? You look like you're having trouble walking," Uraraka chimed in.

"Jeez, he shouldn't even be here… I ain't doing shit if he ends up popping during class!" Bakugo grumbled aloud, doing his best to look away as dismissively as possible. Even so, he couldn't quite hide his occasional sideways glances of concern when he thought no one was looking.

"I'm fine, really!" All Might insisted, raising his voice only to be heard above the chattering of his students. Of course, a single glance among his young wards was enough to prove that they didn't believe him. He let out a sigh. "Would it help if I told you all that today's my last day? I'll be going on leave as soon as the school day is over, so there's no reason for you all to worry."

Contrary to what he'd hoped, that last bit only seemed to cause the class to clamor all the closer, each asking questions – mostly regarding his and the baby's health – but too rapidly for him to discern any one of them. Finally, after he floundered for another minute trying in vain to calm his students, their homeroom teacher finally saw fit to intervene.

"Alright, that's enough. If you're all going to be too distracted by your own teacher to concentrate on today's lesson, then I'll save us all some time and fail you all right now," Aizawa called out sternly over the din. The students all seemed to clam up in an instant, backing up a few steps to return All Might's personal space to him. He let out a small sigh once he was given room to breathe again.

"Th-thanks, Aizawa. I owe you one," he whispered softly, hopefully low enough that the group of teenagers before them couldn't overhear. What he got in reply was a withering sideways glare.

"You owe me way more than just one at this point. If you ask me, you should have started your leave over a week ago. You're not doing anyone any good by being here like this. Besides, Hizashi hasn't stopped bugging me about wanting to adopt a kid ever since he saw your nursery room the last time we were over at your place…"

All Might couldn't help but chuckle nervously in reply, but he didn't have to ask to know that Aizawa was dead serious about it. Still, that didn't stop him from imagining with no shortage of amusement how the erasure hero and his bombastic partner would handle having to care for a baby together. No matter how he saw it going, he found himself feeling infinitely grateful that he was no longer living in the teacher's apartment across the hall from theirs.

* * *

Saturday morning came all too quickly for All Might, but for Dave it couldn't have come soon enough. After the two of them walked home together once the school day was over, the scientist spent the better part of the evening more or less begging his husband to let him take him to the hospital early. All Might wouldn't budge on the matter, though. He insisted on spending that last night at home in their own bed, though he didn't seem able to articulate why. Even taking into account the man's usual stubbornness, All Might's unmoving position on the matter was perplexing to Dave, but he eventually gave in and let him have his last night.

After helping his gravid husband to get ready in the morning as usual – albeit perhaps a bit more rushed this particular day – Dave set to work getting All Might's bag packed and loaded into the car. Once he was done, he came back inside to gather up the retired hero to finally head out to the hospital. He was genuinely unsure why he was surprised to find that the lanky man wasn't waiting in the living room like he'd asked. He let out a sigh, jogging upstairs to go hunt him down.

"C'mon, Toshi! We're going now whether you like it or not!" he called out down the second-floor hall. When he didn't get an answer right away, he couldn't help but feel a wave of panic wash over him. He hurried down the hall, making a beeline for their bedroom where he last saw the pregnant hero. He only got about halfway there before he heard something that made him change course.

"Sweetheart, that's very nice of you to offer, but you know I don't need a babysitter as much as I want you to focus on your schooling," came All Might's voice as Dave passed by a semi-open door to his right. Hearing his husband's conversational tone was all it took to ease his worries, much of his built-up tension released in a sigh of relief. Well, at least he seemed to be okay, if nothing else. Now that fears of the worst had been averted, the scientist found himself standing with his ear near the crack of the door to listen in. He was quite sure he knew who was on the other side of the conversation, though there was no way he could hear that bit, since they were clearly talking over the phone.

"Alright, alright… I'm sure you've given it a lot of thought, so I won't try to talk you out of it. It'll be nice to see you again, no matter the reason."

As the conversation came to an end, punctuated with plenty of 'I love you's, Dave gently pushed the door open and snuck inside. He found All Might standing there in the baby's nursery, tidying up the bedding in the crib for what had to be the hundredth time that week, his phone held against his ear with his shoulder. As the taller man finally grabbed it and hung up the call, Dave ducked to wrap his arms gently around All Might's substantial middle, nuzzling his cheek against the side of that bulging belly.

"For someone so eager to come out to see the world, you sure are letting your daddy stall a lot, aren't you?" he teased lightly, pulling a chuckle from his partner.

"Sorry, babe. I swear I was on my downstairs when Melissa finally called back. She says she's moving here to Japan in a few weeks. Did you know anything about this?"

All Might's tone took a quick shift into mild concern, and as much as Dave had tried to keep it under wraps for the past few months, he couldn't blatantly lie when asked about it directly. He let out a heavy sigh.

"Y-yeah, I did… She sent me an email about it a while back, asking me to send her the paperwork she needs to prove her dual citizenship. I didn't want to worry you over it, so I was going to wait until at least a little while after the baby was born to talk to you about it."

"So I was right to assume she wasn't being entirely honest with me about why she's coming here…"

Dave let out another sigh, straightening himself up to wrap his arms lovingly around his husband's chest.

"All she told me was that she wanted to be near us and her friends here at U.A., and that she had to hurry up and start living here before she's twenty if she wants to claim full Japanese citizenship by birth. I already tried talking her into staying on I-Island until she's done with college, but she just said that there are plenty of good colleges here in Japan."

All Might let out a chuckle at that, turning slightly in his husband's gentle embrace to run his fingers soothingly through his messy brown hair.

"Sounds like she's inherited my stubborn streak. Sorry about that."

"I-it's not just that…" Dave replied, sounding as though he was reluctantly confessing his sins. "I-Island might have essentially banished me, but I can still get my hands on some records. They haven't approved funding for any project her name is attached to, not a single one. They've essentially blacklisted her, and I know it's because of what I did, and because she's my daughter they think she might do something just as stupid and reckless…"

"Oh, hun…" All Might replied with a soft sigh, pulling Dave a bit closer and stroking his back comfortingly. "You can't keep beating yourself up over that one mistake… Yes, you did something wrong, but you were just frustrated and scared, and… And you've spent so much of your life doing good that you shouldn't let one misstep define it all."

"I wouldn't care if what I did ruined me, but I can't stand the thought of it ruining our kids lives. They didn't do anything to deserve that sort of treatment…" Dave replied, burying his face against All Might's shoulder as though to hide himself from his own shame. His husband merely continued to try to soothe his worries.

"It won't ruin their lives, I promise… I-Island's board of directors agreed to keep that entire incident off the books, and they have a lot of incentive to keep it that way. Perhaps they _are_ pushing Melissa out with endless red tape now, but… She's right when she says that there's some great schools in her field here in Japan. The best ones are even right here in Tokyo. She's a bright girl and could probably get into any of them on her own merits, but if you're really worried about it I'm sure a letter of recommendation from either one of us will go a long way. The world still thinks of you as a great support engineer and you're still hugely admired by people in that field. Just look at how all of your students in your class look up to you."

"I suppose…" Dave replied, his voice slightly muffled against his husband's sweater. Though he had to admit hearing those assurances made him feel a bit better. He finally glanced up to meet All Might's loving smile.

"Either way, I don't think now's the time for you to worry about that sort of thing. We've gotta get going to the hospital, remember?"

At that, Dave seemed to flip instantaneously into panicked dad mode, frantically looking his husband over from head to toe.

"A-are you feeling okay?! I-is it the baby?!" he stammered out nervously, figuring that could be the only reason All Might could be asking to go to the hospital after weeks of resistance. The retired hero merely chuckled, grabbing hold of his partner's shoulders to stop him.

"I'm fine, nothing's happened yet. I just know you hate it when your plans get interrupted, and we're already late, so…"

Dave managed to put a cap on his panic for the moment upon hearing that, and All Might went along without resistance as the scientist carefully led him by the hand down the hall and helped him down the stairs. In truth, All Might would have liked to stubbornly stall for as long as his husband would allow, but he knew giving him something to do would be the only way to get his mind off his past mistakes on I-Island. If that something had to be driving him to the hospital and filling out admittance forms, then that's just what he had to make happen.

He only hoped that wouldn't be the last time he got to see their home…


	19. Family, Part 1

Midoriya spent much of class on Monday fidgeting restlessly in his seat. He knew good and well that it was technically none of his business, but he couldn't help but worry about how All Might was doing. It was honestly the only thing that had occupied his mind the entire weekend. Of course, it didn't help that he just happened to have a very good view of the retired hero's house from his dorm room window. He'd seen Professor Shield's car leave just before noon on Saturday, and he hadn't seen it come back since. It didn't take a detective to deduce that the Professor taken his husband to the hospital and had been staying there with him all weekend.

For what felt like the hundredth time just that day, Izuku pulled his phone out from his pocket, his thumb hovering nervously over the contacts icon. Should he try sending All Might a text while he still had a few minutes of lunch break left? No, he really shouldn't. While he desperately wanted to know how his mentor was doing, it really didn't feel like his place to do so. After all, what if it was a bad time? Sure, All Might could just ignore his text if he was busy, but he'd really never forgive himself if he pestered him during something important…

"Jeez dude, chill out a bit. You'd think it was your mom about to have a baby."

Midoriya let out a yelp and stiffened up as he heard Kaminari's familiar playful teasing, his phone slipping from his grasp in his surprise. He scrambled to catch it, managing to snatch it out of the air just before it would have smashed on the ground. He let out a small sigh of relief before turning his attention up towards his classmate.

"Fuck off, Sparky! I _am_ chill!"

Izuku blinked in mild confusion when he found that Kaminari wasn't standing over him, but the ash-blond teen sitting in the seat just in front of him. Bakugo was glaring out the window, his chin buried in the heel of his palm and his leg bouncing anxiously, trying his best to avoid eye contact with everyone else in the room. Midoriya let a small amused smile form on his lips. Well, at least he wasn't alone in his unreasonable preoccupation with their teacher's wellbeing.

Soon enough, the bell signaling the end of lunch period rang out through the school, and the entirety of Class 2-A quickly took their seats. An air of unsure anticipation spread over the group of teens as they waited to see who would walk through the door. All Might's class had always been just after lunch, and they still hadn't been told who it was that would be taking his place while he was on leave. Much of the class had made it the subject of the weekend trying to guess what hero might come in to teach them temporarily. Backdraft was floated as a candidate for the recent focus on rescue over combat, as was Best Jeanist since he'd finally returned to hero work after a long recovery break from the injuries he'd received from All for One. Someone even suggested Gang Orca for his regular involvement in their licensing exams.

Finally, all of their wondering came to an end when the classroom door slid open with a distinctive snap. The figure that walked in was not one any of them had expected, even pulling surprised gasps from a few students. The lanky man walked with a cane at his side, his light gray suit hanging loosely over his thinned-out frame, a small flash of afternoon sunlight gleaming off the metal of his prosthetic left hand. He took his position behind the teacher's podium, turning the intense gaze of a pair of golden eyes over towards the awe-struck class.

Midoriya's eyes widened at the sight of the man standing before them, standing up so swiftly that he nearly knocked his chair over.

" _S-Sir Nighteye!?_ "

At that outburst, Sir's eyes snapped over towards his former partner's successor.

"Back to your seat, Midoriya," he ordered sternly, never breaking eye contact with the boy. Midoriya flinched at the light reprimand, quickly settling himself back into his seat. Nighteye then returned his attention to the class as a whole.

"As you've just heard, I am Sir Nighteye. Some of you have worked with me before, while others may have never heard of me. I previously worked under All Might as his sidekick and I'll be taking over his teaching duties as a personal favor while he's on leave."

No sooner had Sir finished speaking than a soft pink hand shot up into the air.

"Yes…" he began with a sigh, pausing just long enough to take a peek at the class seating chart to find the impatient student's name. "Miss Ashido?"

"So, if you're his old sidekick, you must be pretty close to All Might, right? Do you know if he had the baby yet?"

Normally at least a few of the class' more sensible students would admonish Mina for her habit of asking such inappropriate questions. This time, however, the entire class seemed to be leaning over their desks in anticipation of the answer. Sir's demeanor didn't soften in the slightest with the shift in conversation.

"It's not my place to discuss his medical status. I'd normally suggest you ask his husband after class instead, but I wouldn't want you harassing him while he's got more important things to worry about. Now, unless you have any _relevant_ questions, I want you all to change into your hero costumes and head out to the training grounds."

The class was predictably disappointed by this answer, but they quickly filed out of the room towards the locker rooms. Midoriya lingered for a moment after everyone else had left, hesitating before giving into his nagging concern and approaching Nighteye at the podium.

"I'm not making an exception for you, Midoriya. I really can't tell you anything about All Might while he's still in the hospital," the clairvoyant answered preemptively, never once looking up from the stack of papers his former employer had left for him. Midoriya flinched lightly at Sir's strict tone.

"I-I know…" Izuku stammered out, staring down at his hands as he fidgeted with his fingers. "I-I just wanted to know if…"

"You want to know if I used my Quirk to see the baby's future."

Midoriya's eyes snapped up when Nighteye seemed to guess exactly what he was about to say. The golden stare that he met almost made him want to shrink away from the encounter altogether. After a moment, however, the man seemed to relent in his tight-lipped stance on the matter.

"No, I didn't," was the reply he eventually got. The younger man's brows furrowed in mild confusion.

"Why not? I figured you of all people would probably be the most protective of All Might's kid. W-well, aside from All Might himself and the Professor, anyway…"

Nighteye didn't respond right away, instead continuing to stare down at Midoriya for an uncomfortable amount of time, his piercing eyes searching the teen's own. Finally, after thoroughly freaking the poor boy out, he seemed to decide on how honest he wanted to be.

"I was afraid of what I'd see."

* * *

After that encounter with Sir Nighteye, Midoriya found himself unable to concentrate through the rest of the class. He just couldn't get what the former sidekick said out of his head. What did he mean that he was afraid of what he'd see? Did he know something that All Might was keeping from everyone else? Oh, who was he kidding, of _course_ Nighteye knew something. He'd known something very important for a good seven years now. He was obviously still worried about the prediction he'd made all those years ago, and now so was Midoriya. The timeframe of the prediction was about up, and the only major thing that would be happening to All Might anytime soon was that he was having a baby. Nighteye couldn't think tha—

Midoriya's internal rambling was cut off abruptly when what felt like a sledgehammer slammed into his face. Next thing he knew, he'd flown across the battlefield, his back slamming so hard against one of the mock buildings that he left a teenager-sized crater in its surface.

"Oh, shit! S-sorry, I thought you'd be able to block that!"

Izuku tried his best to ignore the throbbing pain in his face, cracking his eyes open in time to catch Kirishima deactivating his Quirk and rushing over towards him. He could already feel the blood starting to trickle down over his lips from his surely-broken nose.

"Crap, that looks bad… Man, and here I thought Bakugo was distracted today…"

"Enough chatter, Kirishima. Just get him off the field and escort him to the nurse's office. I already have a pass written up for you," came Sir Nighteye's voice over a nearby hidden speaker, his tone almost bored – as though he wasn't surprised in the slightest at what had happened.

Midoriya ended up spending the rest of the class period in Recovery Girl's office, first being subjected to her healing granny smooches, then to one of her usual "you're concerning yourself too much with All Might" lectures. He didn't even bother trying to argue that that wasn't what was bothering him. Even he knew how obvious he was about it.

By the time the old heroine was done with him, all Izuku needed was a simple bandage to cover the remaining cut on the bridge of his nose. He felt bad for missing the opportunity to learn under Sir Nighteye again, but he supposed it wouldn't have made a difference even if he stayed for the entire class, not with how distracted he was. Dammit, he wished there was some way to get his mind to focus on what it was _supposed_ to be focusing on rather than worrying about All Might all day. But how could he not? After all, what if they hadn't done enough to twist fate in the past year? What if the prediction was still going to –

"Hey, idiot! Stop ignoring me!"

Midoriya let out a yelp when a hand came down to grab his shoulder, spinning him around to meet the angry orange eyes of his old friend turned rival.

"K-Kacchan! S-sorry, I guess I've just been—"

"Yeah, yeah, All Might, I get it. Me too," Bakugo replied dismissively. "What do you plan on _doing_ about it?"

"'D-do?' Wh-what do you mean?

"You heard Nighteye. If we wanna know how All Might is, we gotta get it from his husband."

"Th-the Professor? B-but Sir said we shouldn't pester him with questions right now…"

"Jeez, you really are an idiot!" the explosive teen barked out in response, narrowing his eyes down at his classmate. "You think he'd even be at school today if something happened? Even if the baby was born over the weekend and everything went perfectly, he'd still take a few days off to be with both of them."

At that, Midoriya's eyes widened in realization, his shoulders relaxing ever so slightly.

"S-so all we have to do is go see if Professor Shield came to school today and we'll have an idea of how All Might's doing! Kacchan, that's bri—"

Once again, he found himself abruptly cut off, this time by Bakugo's hand clamping down around his wrist and jerking him along to follow.

"Yeah, thank me some other time! If we don't hurry, we'll miss our chance!"

Midoriya didn't argue the point, instead working to get his feet under him enough to hurry along without Bakugo having to drag him. He was right, they didn't have a lot of time to spare. With school over, the Professor would likely only linger long enough to dismiss his class before immediately heading back out to the hospital. They didn't even waste time checking his classroom, instead heading towards the school gate hoping to intercept him before the scientist had a chance to leave.

The two young heroes dashed through the front doors of the school entrance, both having to shield their eyes from the glare of the orange afternoon sun as it hung low in the sky. Midoriya squinted his eyes to see as best he could past the blinding light, just catching the silhouette of a man as he turned off the main path to head towards the dorms. Soon enough, his vision cleared enough to distinguish a head of messy brown hair and thick-framed glasses.

Midoriya let out a small sigh of relief at that. So, the Professor had come to school after all, which meant that All Might had to be okay – at least for the time being. It wasn't much reassurance, but he'd take what he could get, given the circumstances.

"Hey! Professor Shield!"

Izuku's entire body went rigid all over again when he heard Bakugo shouting after the support teacher, his eyes widening in mild panic as he soon spotted the explosive teen jogging down the path to catch up with the man.

"K-Kacchan! W-wait! Sir told us we shouldn't bother him!" he called out after him, breaking out into a run to try to catch his classmate. He was already too late, as the Professor stopped in his tracks and turned to see what all the commotion was about.

"Oh, hey boys. What can I help you with?" Dave replied with his usual kind smile.

Midoriya froze, an embarrassed blush spreading across his face. As much as he wanted to ask, it seemed a little too personal to ask a teacher about their spouse. Granted, the two of them knew the Professor quite well by now, having usually gone back to his and All Might's house to clean up and eat after their private training sessions with the retired hero.

"We wanna know how All Might's doing," Bakugo stated rather bluntly, which only seemed to spike Midoriya's anxiety even more.

"Kacchan! Y-you can't just come out and say it like that!" he stammered out nervously. The Professor didn't seem bothered by it though, letting out an amused chuckle.

"I thought that might be it. Honestly, I'm surprised you two were able to hold back from asking for so long. I figured you'd ambush me even before class started," he joked lightly, pulling his phone from his pocket and deftly typing something out on the screen with his thumb as he spoke. "Toshi's doing fine. We just wanted to get him into the hospital a little early as a precaution. They're supposed to call me as soon as anything happens, but all I've gotten all day are about twenty bored texts from him. He never was very good at sitting around and waiting."

There was a pause, and after a moment the Professor's phone let out a small chime. He smiled down at the screen before finally turning his attention fully back towards the two teens.

"Speaking of which, he says he'd be up for having a few visitors today. Would you like to come with me to see him?"

At that, both boys seemed to perk up instantly despite themselves.

"R-really?! I-I mean… A-are you sure that's okay?" Izuku asked nervously, having to try his best to reign in his excitement at the suggestion. The Professor's smile never waivered.

"Of course! Honestly, he's been bored out of his skull all weekend, having to just lay there in bed. I think having a few people other than just me to talk to would do him some good," he assured, though his face quickly shifted in expression after that, as though he'd just remembered something. "Oh, we'll have to take a short trip somewhere first before we get to the hospital. You don't mind tagging along, right?"

* * *

Within minutes, the two teens found themselves sitting in the back seat of the Professor's car, each staring out their respective windows. Midoriya couldn't stop himself feeling just a tad disappointed. A small part of him was secretly hoping he'd get the chance to ride in the All Mobile – that sleek custom car that had featured prominently in All Might's and Dave's heroic exploits in America. It was a childish hope, he knew, especially since he knew for a fact they'd donated that car to their old university as a museum piece. Neither of them had any use for such a thing anymore, not with All Might retired from hero work and the Professor having been out of the sidekick game for quite some time. A plain sedan certainly seemed painfully boring in comparison, but it was far more appropriate for the quiet domestic life they were now pursuing.

Their drive initially took them to the edge of Musutafu, and on the opposite side of the city from where the hospital was located. Midoriya was perplexed at first, until he started taking notice of the airport signs they kept passing. Suddenly, something seemed to click into place in the young hero's head, and the thought set his heart pounding in his chest. There was only one person he could think of that the Professor would bother picking up at the airport when he would surely prefer to spend every spare second at his husband's side. Wait, was she really here?! He felt his cheeks begin to heat up in a flash at the thought despite himself. Sure, he'd been talking to her regularly online, but he'd never thought he'd ever get to see her again in person!

Sure enough, as they pulled into the terminal, Izuku easily spotted the lone blonde woman waiting there for her ride, a happy smile spreading across her lips once she spotted the Professor's car. After stowing her suitcase in the trunk, she circled around to the passenger seat and hopped in, immediately wrapping her arm's around the Professor's shoulders in a loving hug.

"Thanks for coming to get me, Papa! I missed you so much! How's Dad doing?" Melissa asked, seemingly full of energy despite what must have been a long flight from I-Island. The Professor let out a small chuckle, hugging her as best he could from where he sat in the driver's seat.

"I missed you too, Sweetheart. Your Dad's doing fine, he's just being his usual restless self. He'll be very happy to see you."

Midoriya had to bite his lip to keep from interjecting, not wanting to interrupt the two's reunion. Even so, he found he couldn't quite keep his eyes off Melissa. It had been a year almost to the day since he'd seen her last, the previous time being her parents' wedding. She was dressed quite a bit more casually this time, obviously, sporting a jacket made of soft red leather over a grey t-shirt and a pair of plain jeans. She had her hair tied back into a loose, messy bun, the front sections left out to frame her face in such a way that made him feel like a fool for never suspecting her to be All Might's daughter in the first place back when they'd first met her.

He found himself suddenly ripped from his thoughts when she finally turned those bright blue eyes towards him.

"Hey Izuku! Hey Katsuki! I guess you're coming along to visit Dad, huh?" Melissa asked cheerfully, prompting Midoriya to sit even more rigidly upright in his seat, his face turning beet red at being called by his first name by such a pretty girl. Sure, she'd done the same for Bakugo too, and addressing peers by their first name in America was more than expected, but those thoughts didn't make him any less flustered by it.

"Y-y-y-yeah, th-the Professor invited us! I-I guess you're here to visit him a-and meet your new brother, huh?" he stammered out nervously, averting his eyes down to his knees in hopes it would keep his heart from exploding out of his chest. He heard her giggle lightly in response.

"Actually, I'm going to be living here in Japan from now on!"

Midoriya's head snapped back up so quickly at that response that it was a small wonder he didn't give himself whiplash.

"W-wait, you're moving here?! L-like, _here_ here?! I-in Musutafu?!"

Melissa let an amused grin spread across her face at his reaction.

"Yup! Actually, I'll be staying with my parents for a while, so I guess I'll be living on campus at U.A. with you guys! Mr. Nezu was nice enough to offer me an internship as a teacher's assistant while I apply to some colleges around here. I'll be helping Power Loader out with his class until the new school year starts up in the spring."

"W-wow, that's really cool!" Izuku replied weakly. That's not to say he wasn't happy about the situation. Not at all, in fact he may have been just a tad _too_ happy about such a development. If she was essentially going to be their neighbor for a while, he could only imagine she'd be coming over to the dorms to hang out with everyone quite often while she had the chance. He wondered if he could get over whatever it was that made it feel like his heart was going to explode in his chest by then.

* * *

The rest of the ride from the airport to the city hospital consisted mostly of Melissa making friendly conversation with the two boys in the back seat – or attempting to, at least. Midoriya had been far too preoccupied with trying to keep his face from burning up to give more than short, often single-word answers when prompted, and Bakugo merely grunted non-commitally whenever he was directly addressed. Thankfully the trip was mercifully short, and they arrived at the hospital before the poor girl ran out of subjects on which to try to engage with them.

The three teens followed the Professor to the reception desk, where they had to register as approved visitors to even be able to see All Might. Midoriya supposed that made sense. Aside from the flood of fans who wouldn't hesitate to lie their way in to get an autograph from the former No. 1 pro hero, there was also the very real risk of a villain with a grudge showing up for revenge while he was away from the protection of U.A.'s walls and quite vulnerable. Steps had been taken to assure that only essential members of the medical staff even knew he was there at all – let alone exactly where his room was – but they couldn't account for if someone had spotted him when he was first admitted.

They were escorted to a private wing of the maternity ward, pausing in front of a guard-posted door. After their visitor's passes were checked, the officer nodded them inside. The Professor led the way inside, the three teens following in after the scientist made sure his husband was still up for visitors.

Midoriya found himself letting out a small sigh of tentative relief when he got into the room. All Might had the back of his hospital bed inclined up so that he was more or less sitting upright, his significant baby bump being used to prop up the book he'd been reading to pass the time. He immediately set it aside when he saw who his husband had brought to see him, a happy grin spreading across his gaunt face.

"Well, I was expecting Young Midoriya, but you're certainly a surprise visitor, Bakugo, my boy," he began before Melissa poked her head out from where she'd been hiding behind her father.

"I bet you didn't expect me either, huh?" she chimed out cheerfully, giving her mother a small wave of greeting. All Might's eyes seemed to light up the instant he spotted her.

"Melissa! You didn't tell me you were flying out here already!" he retorted, though he was clearly not disappointed by this. Melissa let out a playful giggle before making her way over to the retired hero's bedside and embracing him in a warm hug.

"She wanted to surprise you, and I had to pay you back for that surprise visit you two conspired to give me back on I-Island, so I guess we're even now," Dave interjected with a light chuckle. "I hope you weren't too bored while I was at work. I know you always manage to get yourself into trouble when you're bored."

All Might replied to his husband's teasing with a small smirk.

"I doubt I'd get very far even if there wasn't a police officer guarding the door twenty-four seven. Speaking of which, Tsukauchi stopped by and visited for a little while, so I wasn't too lonely."

Midoriya found himself fidgeting nervously with his fingers as he stood back a bit, not wanting to interrupt All Might's reunion with his family. Perhaps coming along wasn't such a good idea after all. Sure, he was glad he got to see that his mentor was alright with his own eyes, but it really did feel like he and Bakugo were intruding where they didn't belong. This really was the sort of place only close family members should be…

"Young Midoriya, what happened to your face?"

The curly-haired teen jumped in surprise when he heard the retired hero address him directly. He glanced up to meet All Might's usual gentle smile, a slender hand beckoning him to come closer. Izuku returned the smile with a nervous one, approaching the gravid hero's bedside now that he was invited to do so.

"A-ah, well… I-it's no big deal. I just kinda spaced out during hero training, and it just happened… Recovery girl fixed me right up, though, so it doesn't even hurt anymore," he assured as best he could, standing perfectly still and not resisting as All Might reached forward and fixed his badly done-up tie – something he'd found the former hero doing more and more in the past few months, so much so that he was used to it by now.

"Ah, I see," All Might replied with a warm chuckle. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised to hear that Nighteye's still as merciless as ever."

At that, Midoriya couldn't help but blink in confusion.

"What do you mean? Sir didn't do this, he wasn't even out on the field. I-it was my own fault for not paying attention."

"Well, that may be true, but I can almost guarantee he saw it coming and didn't bother warning you about it."

Upon hearing that, a spark of realization flashed across Izuku's mind. Now that he thought about it, Sir Nighteye _did_ have a pass to the nurse's office all written up before he'd even gotten hurt, and there had been several long moments when the clairvoyant had been staring at him rather intensely when they were talking in private. Honestly, looking back on it, it seemed almost inconceivable that Nighteye hadn't used his Quirk to see the boy's future for the day.

"May I ask what had you so distracted today?"

Midoriya's eyes focused back on the present, at which point he noticed that All Might's entire demeanor had changed. He was no longer smiling, and those intense blue eyes of his seemed to penetrate right into Izuku's skull. The teen swallowed hard at the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat, his eyes darting briefly towards the others in the room. The Professor, Melissa… Neither of them knew. Not even Bakugo, who'd been let in on the secret of One for All, had been told. No, only six people in the entire world knew of Sir Nighteye's prediction of All Might's death. There was Nighteye and All Might themselves, of course, as well as Nezu, Gran Torino, and Recovery Girl, who were all present when the prediction had been made. Then there was him, Izuku, the lone person outside of that original group to be told of the news.

His hands clenched nervously at his sides as his eyes gazed down at the floor. He couldn't just come out and say it. The Professor and Melissa were so happy right now, he couldn't just ruin the last little bit of time they had with All Might. He might have considered telling Bakugo in private if he really had to, but he knew the news would absolutely crush him. He might literally explode in anger and grief, and he'd burn the entire world down to keep it from happening if he thought it would.

He was pulled from his spiraling thoughts when he felt a hand gently rest itself on the top of his head. He looked up to find that All Might's serene smile had returned, but there seemed to be something almost bittersweet about it this time.

"We heroes have a very important job to do, and we can't let what's happening in our personal lives distract us from our duty to the people. Even if you can't think of anything else, even if you want to scream in frustration, even if all you want to do is break down and cry, you have to keep on smiling and give it your all as though everything's fine. If you don't, the people will lose hope, and the villains won't hesitate to take advantage of your moment of weakness. I'm sure that's what Nighteye was trying to teach you today."

Midoriya could do little more than nod lightly in response to that, afraid he'd start sobbing if he dared to open his mouth to reply. He really didn't want to try to explain that one away. Besides, he understood what All Might was trying to say, and it wasn't the sort of thing that needed a verbal reply.

* * *

The lot of them didn't stay for very much longer, since it was starting to get pretty late into the evening. The Professor made sure to make something quick for Bakugo and Midoriya to eat after they returned back to U.A. High before sending them back to their dorms. Melissa tagged along to visit with the rest of Class 2-A for a little bit, but Midoriya found himself too mentally exhausted to participate much. No one really noticed him excuse himself from the group, all being far too busy chatting up a normally-distant friend. Of course, even though he'd escaped up to the quiet of his room, there was no way he could relax enough to go to sleep. His mind was a tempest, swirling with nagging, intrusive thoughts. He couldn't stop wondering if today would be the last time he ever got to see All Might alive, if it had been the last chance he'd ever get to talk to him before he…

After several hours of restless pacing and fidgeting, Midoriya somehow managed to pass out sometime in the small hours of the morning, earning himself a few hours sleep before school, as well as missing the moment when the Professor's car hurried off campus in the dead of night.


	20. Family, Part 2

"You're doing great, All Might, keep pushing!"

A whimper of pain managed to sneak its way past his tightly clenched jaw as he did as he was told, squeezing his abdominal muscles as hard as he could as another agonizing contraction hit him. His hands trembled where they clung desperately to the bedrail and his husband's hand respectively, every inch of his body soaked with sweat. The oxygen line strapped across his face seemed to do little to aid his labored breathing, each breath seeming to take more effort to draw in than the last.

The contraction faded and he stopped pushing for the moment, his head falling back to rest against his pillow for those few seconds reprieve he had before it all started up again. Again he was instructed to push, and again the pain came, a feeling like his pelvis was being ripped open from the inside accompanied by a knife in his left side being cruelly twisted, pulling a few fresh tears from his eyes. It barely registered when Dave reached over to gently brush a few strands of his bangs from where they clung wetly to the side of his face.

"I-it'll be okay, Toshi. You're almost done," the scientist assured softly, though from the way his voice waivered, All Might was unsure who he was trying to convince of that. As much as he wanted to believe his husband, he really didn't see any end in sight to all this. It seemed like every push barely made any progress – if it made any at all – and he could feel the baby moving back almost to where he'd been before once he stopped pushing. He had no idea how long he'd been in labor, but he knew it was many hours by now – he knew it started in the dead of night and he could already see the tint of afternoon orange in the sunlight that peeked in through the closed blinds. It had certainly been much longer than it had been back when he gave birth to Melissa. Of course, back then he still had both lungs and half his torso wasn't made up of little more than scar tissue.

He was more exhausted than he'd ever been in his life. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep it up like this. Still, even though he was in agony, even though he barely had any strength left, his mind kept drifting to the baby, wondering if he was okay. It couldn't be good for him to be stuck in that position for long. When he was told to push next, he tried his best to lean a bit further forward, trying to get a peek at the monitor attached to the strap they had around his belly that was monitoring the baby's vitals. Unfortunately, they had it turned away from him, likely not wanting him to panic if something changed on its readings.

It felt like at least an hour more passed before his constant pushing resulted in something that didn't feel entirely futile. Quite arbitrarily, one of his pushes managed to move the baby several inches, a new sharp pain pulling an agonized cry from him.

"Alright, the baby's head's coming out," the doctor informed.

" _Yeah, no fucking shit!_ " All Might hissed out through tightly gritted, quite familiar with that particular pain from the last time he'd had to go through it. Of course, no sooner had those words passed through his lips than he'd felt immensely bad for getting snippy at her. "S-sorry…"

"It's alright, I've had worse shouted at me," she replied gently, though she never looked up from her task. He then felt Dave stoking his shoulder soothingly.

"You can do it, babe. Just a little bit more and you can finally hold him in your arms."

All Might felt a bitter knot form in his heart at that, but he tried to give his husband a weak smile, tried to make it look like he was reassured by his encouragement. At this point, he was sure that wasn't likely to be how all this ended. He felt all wrong, like he was all torn apart on the inside. He was already starting to feel a bit lightheaded. But he couldn't let it take him. Not yet. Not until he made sure his son was okay.

A few more pushes and his vision began to blur around the edges. He caught a bit of nervous murmuring from the nurses, something about blood pressure. They weren't looking at the monitor for the baby's vitals, though. They were staring at his.

"T-Toshi? H-hey, is he okay? What's wrong?" Dave asked frantically, his eyes darting over to the medical staff after one of the nurses was sent rushing out of the room after being whispered something by the doctor.

"All Might, I need you to give one more big push, okay? Just get him past the shoulders and we can take care of the rest," she instructed as evenly as she could, though she seemed to deliberately gloss over Dave's questions. The scientist opened his mouth to demand answers, but he was cut off when All Might squeezed his hand to grab his attention back. It wasn't as strong a grip as he'd had for the past several hours, the tips of his fingers already starting to tingle and go numb on him.

"D-Dave… I love you… Melissa, too…" he managed to get out in barely more than a whisper, which was all he could manage anymore. He watched as Dave's face went pale with panic, tears starting to well up in his eyes, his hands clutching desperately at All Might's own as though holding him tight enough would keep him from slipping away.

"H-hey, don't talk like that! You're not going to die! Y-you can't!"

But All Might couldn't reply. All he could manage was a weak smile. Everything had gone numb. Even the pain he'd been in before was reduced to little more than a sense of pressure in his abdomen. He hardly noticed the nurses rushing around, even as they hung a bag of blood and stuck the IV in his arm, even as they switched out the oxygen line in his nose for a full mask.

Finally, he felt the pressure in his abdomen leave him, and his whole body felt like it had gone cold in an instant. He tried to look down to see, but all he could make out was the doctor carrying away a blood-soaked blur.

 _'C'mon, kid… Cry for me, just a little bit…'_ he begged in his head as his vision went black. But all he could hear was his husband's voice desperately calling his name, growing more muffled and distant until all was silent.

* * *

The first thing that crossed his mind was confusion. Even before his vision cleared, even before his ears could function again, he was confused. In fact, the very fact that he was capable of being confused at all was what confused him so. After all, how could he think if he was dead?

Soon, the rest of his senses started coming back to him, one by one. He could hear the faint running of water, he could smell the distinct scent of the riverside. He felt the cold breeze on the bare skin of his arms and legs, and occasionally a gentle touch of something colder before it melted away against his skin. Finally, his eyes were able to focus again, and he could see the world around him.

All Might stood on the sidewalk at the top of a city riverbank, the sky covered in an impenetrable layer of gloomy grey clouds, a light dusting of snow falling down from above. His brows furrowed, now even more confused than when he couldn't see. What the hell was he doing here? He glanced down at himself for a clue, but found that he was dressed only in a hospital gown, his abdomen still significantly swollen and bulging out a bit underneath. It wasn't as big as it had been, though. No, he was empty. He couldn't help but wrap his arms around himself, unsure if he should be happy or sad that his newborn son wasn't there with him. After all, what if this was really…

"Don't look so sad, Toshinori."

All Might drew in a gasp when that all-too-familiar voice addressed him from somewhere behind, a gentle hand coming down to rest on his shoulder. He could already feel the tears begin to well up in his eyes even before he turned to look at the owner. He was torn between the joy of hearing her voice once more after all these years, and the sinking sense of inescapable despair at what actually hearing it meant.

Slowly, as though dreading the answer, he turned. Sure enough, what he met was Nana Shimura's eternal smile.

"M-Master…" he barely managed to choke out before the tears began to stream freely down his hollow cheeks. He buried his face in his hands, turning away. He couldn't let her see him like this, a sobbing mess, a shadow of the hero she'd given everything to train. Besides, if that really was his Master, that could only mean… He really was dead, wasn't he?

Soon enough, he felt a pair of strong arms wrap around his shoulders, pulling him into a close embrace and stroking his back soothingly.

"Shh, it'll be okay…" she whispered softly next to his ear the same way a mother would to her upset child. He automatically wrapped his arms around her as well, grabbing handfuls of her cape and clinging desperately to her for comfort. How the hell was anything going to be okay? He was dead. He didn't even get the chance to see his newborn son properly, let alone learn if he'd survived the ordeal that had taken his own life. And what about Dave? There was no way he was handling something like this well. He must be absolutely inconsolable right now. Not to mention Melissa, and Midoriya, and all of his other students…

"I'm very proud of you, you know. You went through so much, and still you never stopped smiling."

All Might's grip on the fabric of her cape only tightened all the more at that.

"I-I… I didn't do enough…" he finally managed to get out in reply. "I-if I hadn't been so stubborn, I might have been able to save more people. A-and if I'd only kept an eye on your son, even a little bit, then I could have saved Shigaraki before—"

"I know…" he replied as gently as ever, "But there's no way you could have known any of that. You always did the best you could, you always poured your entire heart and soul into everything you did. You did more than anyone could imagine, but you're only human. Don't beat yourself up over the people you could have never reached."

His arms only seemed to tighten further around her at that.

"I-I'm not ready to die…"

"None of us ever are, Toshinori."

There was a moment where he couldn't think of anything to say. Was this really it? Was that the end? Was there nothing he could do to change it? He'd settle just for knowing whether or not his baby was okay…

"Master… Were you really watching me all this time?"

"Of course I was."

At that, All Might finally broke their embrace, holding his Master by the shoulders, staring down at her with something akin to hopeful desperation in his eyes.

"Then teach me how to do that, too! Please, I need to know that my son's okay! I need to see him!"

In response, Nana could only stare up at him with a sad smile.

"Don't worry… You'll be able to see him very soon."

* * *

Everything was black again. He couldn't feel. He couldn't hear. But, somehow, his brain was still forming foggy thoughts that gradually became clearer as time went on. Soon, as before, his senses started to come back to him one by one. He began to hear faint sounds; a soft, rhythmic beeping, the quiet hum of something electrical. Then came the pain, a vague ache in his abdomen at first that very rapidly evolved into a feeling like half a dozen knives jabbing into him at once. It pulled a grunt of discomfort from him, and lifting his arm to attempt to rub at the affected area revealed that his limbs felt as though they weighed a ton each.

" _Toshi!_ "

That call was one of mixed exhaustion and elation, and soon he felt a hand gently grab hold of his own.

"Dave..?" he answered back, his own voice coming out weak and groggy, reflecting back at him from the plastic oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth. Was this real? Could he really be alive after all that? Finally, after considerable effort, he managed to will his eyes to open. Sure enough, there was his husband, standing over him at his bedside. He looked as though he'd aged ten years since he last saw him, with tired circles shadowing his eyes and the trails of recent tears still fresh on his cheeks. Even so, the scientist had the biggest grin he'd ever seen on his face.

"You look like hell, babe… How long have you been awake..?"

Dave let out an incredulous chuckle at that, his free hand moving up to wipe at the relieved tears that were gathering in his eyes.

"You're one to talk. You scared me half to death, Toshi… I-I really thought you were gone for good for a while there."

All Might tried to muster up as reassuring a smile as he could, giving his husband's hand a loving squeeze.

"Well, I can't be dead if I'm here, can I?" he joked lightly, but Dave's smile seemed to fade at that.

"Y-yeah, well… You _were_."

All Might's brows furrowed lightly at that.

"What do you mean? What happened?"

Dave drew in a deep breath, letting it out in a heavy sigh.

"I… I'm still not entirely sure, I wasn't really in the right frame of mind to have it explained to me in any detail. You were just bleeding so much, and… A-and after they took you into surgery, your heart stopped, and it took them so long to get it back, I thought… Th-they said you were technically dead for almost three minutes."

All Might couldn't believe what he was hearing. He really had died? So, that meant that dream he'd had while he was out, the one where he'd met Nana… Had that been real as well? Had he really gotten the chance to speak with his dear Master again? He could practically still feel her arms around him, her soothing voice telling him that everything was going to be okay…

 _'Don't worry… You'll be able to see him very soon'_

Remembering the last thing she'd said to him, he immediately attempted to sit up, a sudden surge of protective adrenaline urging him to get up and find his son. There was no way he could go another second without knowing if his baby was okay or not! Fortunately, Dave managed to stop him before he could lift himself up more than a few inches, pushing him back down against the bed.

"Woah, hey! You shouldn't be moving around like that, Toshi! You're gonna rip your stitches out!" he scolded, fresh panic clear in his eyes. All Might could only stare back at him desperately, though he did as he was told and stayed still.

"What happened to the baby?! Is he okay?!" he asked frantically, feeling absolutely helpless lying there in bed when he had no idea where or in what state his child was. Luckily, his husband's immediate reaction was to smile.

"It's okay. He's perfectly fine. See? He's right over there," Dave assured, pointing across the room to the small plastic bassinette the hospital typically kept newborn babies in. Try as he might, the retired hero couldn't see over the edge from where he lay. His husband saw how desperately he was trying to get even a glance at their child, keeping his hand on his shoulder for a moment more.

"You stay put, okay? I'll bring him over to you."

All Might nodded and tried his best to behave after his shoulder was finally released. His eyes remained glued on his husband as he circled around the end of the bed, his heart beginning to pound in his chest when the scientist bent down and gingerly picked the infant up. He couldn't stop the wide grin that spread across his face when he finally saw him wriggling in his father's grasp. He'd never felt so relieved in his life. It looked like he really was perfectly healthy.

He eagerly held out his arms when Dave came back to his side, taking the newborn and holding him close against his chest. The baby very quickly settled in against him, his tiny hands grasping at the fabric of his hospital gown, his big blue eyes staring up curiously at his mother's smiling face. All Might's eyes were immediately drawn to his hair, already a good half an inch long and sticking out wildly in all directions. Most striking of all was its color; a bright copper, nearly orange.

"I wasn't expecting him to be a red-head," the old hero commented, that permanent grin never leaving his face as he brushed his thumb gently over the soft fuzz. Dave gave him a light chuckle in response.

"Yeah, that'd be me. There's a lot of gingers in my family. Even I had red hair when I was a baby, but it gradually turned brown as I got older."

All Might supposed that made sense. After all, he seemed to remember Dave's hair being just a tad closer to red back when they first met in college. He sort of hoped the same thing wouldn't happen to their son. He liked Dave's hair the way it was, sure, but he couldn't deny that the baby's was a very pretty color as it was now.

Of course, now that he thought of it, he couldn't just keep calling their son 'the baby,' now could he? They'd already decided on a name beforehand, thankfully, but just to make sure… He pulled back the front of the blanket the infant was swaddled in, taking a quick peek at the hospital ID bracelet fastened around his ankle. He was very easily able to read the kanji that made up the name 'Yagi Kansuke.' He couldn't help but smile all the more, recalling how Dave had spent the last few months diligently practicing how to write the name out in Japanese, making sure he didn't misspell it when the time came to write it for real. He had to make sure to give his husband plenty of praise for getting it right.

In the meantime, however, he intended to get the most out of every last second he had with his little Kansuke. After all, it looked like he would have many years ahead of him to enjoy the child's company, so he may as well start it all off right.


	21. Homecoming

All Might's wild blond hair poofed back out to its normal volume once he pulled his head through the collar of his sweater, and he let out a small sigh of relief at finally being in his own clothes again rather than that thin hospital gown he'd been stuck in for the past month. The fluffy knit fabric hung loosely around his middle, but he couldn't go back to his normal winter clothes just yet. He still had a significant amount of baby weight on him, but he was sure that would disappear in no short order whether he wanted it to or not.

"Ready to head home, Toshi?"

The retired hero smiled lightly to himself when he heard his husband's voice behind him. He turned around in time to catch Dave fastening the last button of Kansuke's onesie, all the while the infant wriggled about in an apparent effort to make things as difficult as possible for his father. All Might had to bite his lip to keep from chuckling in amusement.

"I've been ready to head home for _weeks_ now, but you all insisted I stay. Honestly, I was starting to think you were all conspiring to keep me here until next year."

"Toshi… You could barely walk down the hall on your own until a week ago. I think the doctor's caution is perfectly understandable."

"I suppose…" he gave in without much more of a fight about it. He supposed it didn't matter. After all, he'd finally gotten cleared to be discharged, and he just wanted to finally get out of that damned hospital room as soon as possible. Then again… All Might cast a sideways glance back towards his husband just as he gingerly lifted their newborn son up from his plastic bassinette.

"Did the doctor get the chance to examine Kansuke today? As much as I want to go home, I don't want to leave until she says he's ready."

"Oh, don't you worry about him. He's been perfectly healthy and ready to go home pretty much since he was born. He only stayed because we didn't want to separate you two."

At that interjection, All Might's attention was pulled back towards the door of the hospital room, where the almost too familiar figure of his doctor made her way in, pushing an empty wheelchair in front of her. The former hero was relieved by the news, but that relief ebbed once his eyes settled on the wheelchair.

"Oh, come on… That's not really necessary, is it? I can walk just fine now. I'm not even sore anymore," he groaned out in protest, though that last bit about not being sore was perhaps not as true as he'd like her to believe. He'd probably be plenty sore by the time they got down to the car if he walked on his own the way he wanted. Either way, the doctor shook her head.

"You know that doesn't matter. Honestly, you've been here so many times over the past few years that you should be able to quote hospital policy by heart," she replied firmly, giving the seat of the wheelchair a light pat as though inviting him to sit down. Of course, it was perhaps a bit more of an order than a request. He let out another reluctant sigh, but eventually complied. He knew he wouldn't get out of there any sooner by making a fuss over it.

All Might couldn't stifle a small grunt of discomfort as he lowered himself down into the wheelchair, the doctor helping to support him a bit as he did so. He still hadn't fully healed from his surgery, but he was never the type that could just sit around waiting to get better. Apparently knowing this full well, the doctor proceeded to reiterate for what felt like the hundredth time that he needed to stay home and rest for at least another month before he could think about returning to his teaching duties. Predicting that he may not follow her instructions, she seemed to make a point to tell Dave more than him directly, trusting his husband more to make sure he was resting as much as he needed to. The retired hero was almost dreading the next few weeks, knowing the scientist would be diligent in ensuring that the doctor's instructions were followed to the letter.

After the laundry list of recommendations finally ended, Dave turned his attention back down towards his partner, flashing him an almost apologetic smile for the days to come even as he bent down to pass Kansuke into his arms. All Might eagerly accepted, taking the tiny infant and holding him close. Kansuke's blue-eyed gaze fixed lovingly up at his mother from the gap in the blankets he'd been thoroughly wrapped in to protect him from the cold mid-December air outside. All Might couldn't stop the wide grin that spread across his lips as he watched his son attempt in vain to wriggle around as he usually did, his warm blanket cocoon keeping his arms and legs well secure against his body. He cuddled the newborn close, so thoroughly distracted that he hardly noticed at all when Dave took the handles of the wheelchair and started pushing him down the hall. Well, perhaps he'd have something at home to keep him behaving himself after all.

"Your students will be happy to hear that you're finally coming home. They've been coming to ask me how you're doing practically everyday after school," Dave began once they reached the elevator. All Might couldn't stop the slight smirk that formed on his lips at that.

"'They,' huh? Why do I get the feeling that the reality isn't quite as plural as you let on?"

The scientist let out a light chuckle at that.

"Alright, alright… It was pretty much just Izuku, but I imagine he's reporting back to the rest of his class. He seemed particularly worried after I came back from my leave, almost like he knew about the complications you had… You don't think Nighteye told him about something like that, do you?"

"A-ah, no, Nighteye's too much of a stickler to let something like that slip to a student. Young Midoriya's always been more concerned over my health than any of the others. I-I'm sure that just comes from being a longtime fan of mine," he dismissed casually, trying his best to dodge the subject of Sir Nighteye's previous prediction. After all, it seemed he'd avoided that particular fate, so there was no reason to worry Dave over it.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. In any case, he caught me just before I left campus today and I already told him you'd be coming home. He was pretty awkward after that, but I'm sure he wanted to ask when he could come see you and the baby. I told him you'd text him when you felt up to having visitors over."

All Might nodded his head at that. Yeah, that sounded about right. He'd have probably suggested something along those lines anyway. Honestly, he was looking forward to seeing his successor again and easing the poor boy's fears that something terrible had happened. Perhaps he could stand to take it easy for the rest of the afternoon if it meant he could invite him over in the evening.

* * *

Later on into the evening, Midoriya found himself sitting at his desk up in his dorm room, staring down at the textbooks and papers scattered over the surface but not really registering the information they presented. His intention had been to study for his end of term exams that were only a week away, but instead he found himself fidgeting restlessly in his seat and constantly glancing out the window. Professor Shield's car had returned from the hospital a lot earlier than it usually would, which seemed to support the scientist's promise that All Might was finally coming home.

Izuku practically had to physically restrain himself to keep from sending his mentor a text message. While he desperately wanted to see that his hero was alive and well with his own eyes, he really didn't want to be a pest. Surely All Might must still be recovering, and this was the first night that he'd get to sit at home and relax with the entirety of his family. The teen really didn't want to butt in on that. After all, that wasn't a space that he really belonged.

 _"A text message is here!"_

The sudden announcement in his idol's booming voice caused Midoriya to jump in surprise, nearly toppling backwards in his chair. He managed to quickly right himself before he could fall, immediately snatching his phone up from his desk and burying his nose in the screen. His heart leapt in his chest when he found that the text he'd gotten was from All Might's number! He tried to reign in his excitement as he quickly read over the message he'd been sent, which became a difficult task indeed once he saw that it included a casual invitation to come over if he wanted.

Midoriya was dressed in a flash, just barely having the presence of mind to text back to All Might before dashing out of his room. His immediate destination wasn't downstairs, however. After all, he hadn't been the only one to be invited over. He first headed upstairs to the fourth floor of Height's Alliance, making his way down the hall on the boys' side to the last occupied room on that floor. He gave the door a quick knock, perhaps sounding a bit more frantic than he'd intended to. After a moment, the door swung open, the perpetually-irritated face of Bakugo greeting him with no shortage of ire.

"Yeah, whaddaya want?"

"W-well, All Might just texted me and said we could come over to visit if we—"

Midoriya found himself cut off mid-sentence when the door was abruptly slammed in his face. He hardly had enough time to be upset about it as, after a bit of shuffling inside, the door swung open once more and a fully-dressed Bakugo pushed his way out into the hall.

"Well, what are you waiting for? You coming or not?" the explosive teen called out behind him as he made his way down the hall. Midoriya merely sighed at his classmate's brash demeanor, a small smile spreading across his lips before he jogged to catch up with him.

* * *

With practiced ease, Bakugo and Midoriya managed to slip out of the dormitory without any of their classmates taking notice of their absence. They might have been able to make an excuse if they'd ever been caught sneaking out back when they were having their private training sessions with All Might, but their intentions would have been all too obvious that particular night. Luckily they were spared having to explain themselves, and soon enough they found themselves standing in front of the retired hero's front door.

Midoriya managed to control his excitement this time when he knocked, and soon enough the door opened to them. Melissa's smiling face was what greeted them, causing Izuku's cheeks to redden reflexively.

"Wow, that certainly was fast! If I didn't know any better I'd think you guys were camping out here waiting for Dad to text you or something," she teased with a light giggle, to which the freckle-faced young man couldn't help but laugh nervously in return.

"A-ah, no nothing like that! I wouldn't do something so stalkery now that I've gotten to spend so much time with All Might at school. N-not that I would have done that before either! I-I just meant that sort of like – _ow!_ "

Midoriya's flustered rambling was cut mercifully short when he felt a sudden sharp kick to his ankle. He glanced to the side, just catching Bakugo's impatient stare.

"I-I mean, uhh… How're your dad and brother doing?"

Melissa let out another poorly stifled giggle at the teen's awkward stammering but stepped aside to let the two of them come inside.

"Oh, I'm sure you wouldn't be happy until you saw the answer for yourself."

Once again, it took all of Midoriya's restraint to keep from bolting inside to hunt down his mentor, instead trying his best to act normally as he made his way inside. Luckily he didn't have to go far to find who he was looking for. All Might was settled comfortably in the middle of the couch in the living room, a tiny bundle cradled in his arms. As soon as the two boys rounded the corner, he glanced up and flashed the two of them his usual smile.

"I'd have told you not to rush, but I imagine it wouldn't have done much good," he joked lightly, beckoning his two students over with a wave of his hand. Midoriya simultaneously felt great relief and a sudden nervousness at that. On one hand, it was a huge weight off his shoulders to see All Might in the flesh once more, alive and well. On the other hand… His gaze drifted over to the infant held in the former hero's arms, a soft warble emanating from somewhere inside the blanket bundle as a tiny hand reached up and attempted to grasp the frizzy tuft at the end of All Might's long bangs as it brushed by.

Midoriya was suddenly made painfully aware that he had exactly zero experience with babies. He was an only child, and he'd never visited any family members with young children before. What was he supposed to do here? Was he supposed to stay quiet around him? What if he accidentally scared him or made him cry? He'd never forgive himself if his first interaction with All Might's son was something like that!

Sensing the teen's hesitation, the lanky man gave a small chuckle.

"Come on, you two, there's no need to be so nervous. I can't promise he won't bite, but at least he doesn't have any teeth yet."

At that, Izuku realized once more that he wasn't there alone. He glanced to his side, noticing that, if anything, Bakugo seemed even more reluctant to approach than he was. A bead of sweat could be seen rolling down the explosive teen's cheek, the subtle scent of caramel emanating from him becoming ever more apparent by the second. Midoriya could practically hear his rival's thoughts through his skull, clearly worried that he might accidentally detonate his nitroglycerin sweat if he got too close to the baby. His stress at the situation only caused him to sweat even more, creating a vicious cycle of constantly increasing danger.

Seeing Bakugo so worried over an _actual_ potential catastrophe, Midoriya suddenly felt a little silly for worrying over making a baby cry. Still quite hesitant, he stepped forward and took a seat next to All Might on the couch, peeking tentatively over the hero's arm to get a peek at the newborn. The teen's presence was enough to distract Kansuke from trying to grab at his mother's hair, his bright blue eyes suddenly fixing on this strange new person. He then began to wriggle around once more in his mother's arms, letting out a stream of meaningless baby babble that only stopped once he stuck his fingers in his mouth.

Midoriya could feel his heart clench in his chest at the sight, his eyes sparkling with adoration, the tips of his fingers held over his lips being the only thing keeping him from squealing aloud in delight. He was so cute he could hardly contain himself!

"Would you like to hold him?"

That one casual question was enough to turn the warm fuzzies Izuku felt inside into nerve-wracking ice. He froze, glancing up nervously to see All Might still smiling gently down at him. It wasn't that he didn't want to hold his lifelong idol's baby – hell, that was like the fulfillment of a wish he didn't know he had, but… Was that really okay? He had no idea how to properly hold a newborn baby, and suddenly he was filled with the fear that he'd accidentally drop him.

"U-um… I-I don't know if that's a good idea…" he stammered out meekly, but All Might's reassuring smile never waivered.

"Don't worry so much, my boy. I'm sure you'll do just fine," the retired hero assured softly, holding the infant out slightly for his successor to take. "Besides, there are times when being a hero requires a gentle touch. Just think of it as more training."

Midoriya stared hesitantly down at Kansuke for a moment more, the infant staring back up at him almost expectantly. He swallowed hard at the lump that had gathered in his throat, slowly reaching his arms out to wrap gingerly around the baby. Once the transfer was complete, All Might adjusted his student's arms to ensure he was supporting the child's head properly before releasing Midoriya to hold him on his own.

Izuku sat deathly still once he had Kansuke in his arms, afraid he'd mess something up if he moved even an inch out of place. The newborn cradled against his chest wasn't making that task an easy one, continuing to wiggle about happily as he babbled up at the teen. After a few moments, however, he started to feel the tension ease from his muscles, and soon he was able to fully relax. Even Bakugo's nerves seemed to have calmed a bit, as he'd gradually inched closer until he was able to peek over the back of the couch to have a look himself, though his hands remained firmly in his pockets the entire time.

Soon growing more confident, Midoriya felt comfortable enough to move his hand from where it was settled on the infant's back, reaching in to gently brush the tip of his finger across Kansuke's cheek. It was so soft and warm, like nothing he'd ever felt before. Of course, the newborn reacted to the touch with wide-eyed curiosity, an uncoordinated hand moving up to grasp the wandering digit. His tiny little fingers could barely wrap more than halfway around, but that didn't seem to intimidate Kansuke in the slightest. He managed to wriggle his other arm free from the blanket he was wrapped in, reaching up to explore one of the wide scars that decorated the young hero's hand.

Midoriya had to bite his lip to stifle whatever surely-embarrassing sound was trying to worm its way out of him, his heart swelling in his chest once more. How was it possible for something so tiny to be so adorable?! He couldn't help but lean down and gently nuzzle the baby's face with his own, eliciting a happy squeal as those two tiny hands buried themselves in the teen's soft green curls.

Meanwhile, All Might watched quietly from the side, that proud grin never leaving his face. He had a feeling the two boys would get along right away, but he was genuinely impressed by just how readily his successor managed to slip into the role of big brother.


	22. A Night to Remember

Bakugo stared down at the infant with a displeased grimace on his face, his hands held up and ready to take action but hesitating to do so. Many of his classmates, all of them male, hovered around his shoulders, the lot of them peering down in morbid curiosity but unwilling to jump in and assist with the task at hand. Meanwhile, Kansuke started up at the lot of them with wide expectant eyes, as though wondering what was taking the teens so long.

"C-c'mon, man! Just get it over with, would ya?" Kaminari egged on from somewhere over the explosive teen's shoulder, though he was conspicuously keeping his distance.

"Shut your mouth of you're getting this shit thrown in your face when I'm done!" Bakugo snapped back in reply, though that promise didn't make it any easier to bite the bullet and get the job over with.

"Jeez, how many third-years does it take to change one diaper? Some big tough heroes you're gonna be…" Jirou mumbled boredly, twirling one of her earphone jacks idly around her finger as she watched from the next couch over.

"Y-yeah, well it'd be going a lot faster if one of you would help!" Mineta shot back from where he was cowering behind Ojiro's tail. Yaoyorozu, who was sitting next to Jirou to observe the farce, shook her head firmly.

"No way. You're not pawning this off on us just because none of you paid attention when Melissa showed you how to do it before. It happened on _your_ watch, so _you_ get to clean up the mess."

Once it looked like they wouldn't be getting any help from the girls, the gathering of boys returned their attention to the infant once more, each staring down at the child as though he were a ticking time bomb. Bakugo let a frustrated growl rumble in his throat before turning his wild glare towards one of his classmates in particular.

"Hey, Half n' Half! You've got brothers and sisters, right? You know how to do this?"

Todoroki couldn't help but blink in mild confusion at the question.

"I was the youngest, though. I've never done this before."

"You guys really should learn stuff like this while you have the chance," Uraraka commented from where she leaned over the back of the girls' couch. "What are you gonna do when you become fathers yourselves?"

"Not that I trust half of these losers with kids of their own…" Jirou snarked under her breath, though it didn't go unnoticed.

"Hey, you wanna say that to my face?!" Bakugo roared out, though he was cut off from making any real threats when an unhappy whine pulled his attention back. It seemed Kansuke's patience with the lot of them had finally run out, and within seconds the infant was wailing in protest.

"Oh no…" Melissa sighed out in exasperation. "You guys better hurry if you're gonna do it. I don't think Dad would be too happy with us if we bring Kan back with diaper rash…"

The threat of annoying All Might seemed to motivate the group of teens more than anything else could – one of them in particular more than the others, in fact. Midoriya suddenly broke away from the group, dashing over towards the couch the girls had gathered around and stopping in front of Yaoyorozu. The class' vice president merely narrowed her eyes slightly.

"I already told you we're not going to do it for you, no matter how much he cries. This is _your_ responsibility."

"I-I know, I just… Can you make something for me, at least?"

Momo was willing to assist that much, at least. Soon enough, Midoriya made his way back to Kansuke with a clothes pin clamped on his nose and an expression of determination on his face.

"A-all right, here goes nothing!" he called out before diving into action. He remembered what he'd been shown earlier, as well as when he'd asked All Might himself to show him how during one of his visits, but it was distinctly different now that he was the one that had to do it – especially since Kansuke was currently bawling his eyes out. Even so, he tried his best to wrangle the squirming infant and get the whole ordeal over with as soon as he could. Finally, after what felt to the teen like ages but was surely only a minute or two, Midoriya tossed the old diaper in the trash with a relieved sigh. His classmates behind him erupted into applause, most just glad they didn't have to do it themselves. The young hero couldn't help but puff out his chest triumphantly, not used to getting that kind of praise. Jirou, however, merely rolled her eyes.

"Jeez, you guys act like he just saved the city or something. It was just a dirty diaper, not a damned terrorist plot…"

Even as Midoriya's shoulders wilted slightly at that comment, Melissa's amused giggle could be heard in response.

"Oh, I dunno, Kyoka. I think he deserves some praise for his first time."

At that, Izuku could feel his cheeks heat up in an instant, and he ducked down to finish re-dressing Kansuke in his onesie, the infant thankfully much calmer than he was a moment ago.

"W-well… I-it wasn't so bad…" he attempted to boast bashfully, though whatever composure he could muster seemed to dissolve into nothingness in front of Melissa. He tried to distract himself by tending to his mentor's son, lifting the baby up to lay against his shoulder, his spare hand rubbing lightly at the tiny redhead's back in an effort to soothe away the last of his tears. Kansuke calmed down soon enough, but it seemed a new need had gripped him, at least if the way he gummed hungrily at Midoriya's shirt was any evidence. His cheeks heated further, though for very different reasons this time.

"U-uhhh, I-I think he's hungry," Izuku stammered out helplessly, finally turning towards Melissa once more as though begging for help. He could hear Bakugo letting out a scoff from somewhere behind him.

" _Again?!_ Didn't we _just_ feed him a little while ago?" the explosive young hero growled out in annoyance.

"That's kinda what babies do. It's not like he can go get himself a snack whenever he gets a little hungry," Asui informed matter-of-factly from her perch on the far side of the couch.

"Please, do us a favor and _never_ have kids," Jirou chimed in, earning a fresh growl of offense from Bakugo. Before another row could be sparked, Melissa stepped in to deflect.

"There's a couple more bottles of milk in the fridge. It should only take a minute to heat up for him," she said with a smile, beckoning Midoriya to follow her as she made her way into the kitchen. He followed eagerly, still holding Kansuke close even as the infant clung to his shirt. Once they were moving, however, those big blue eyes turned to look curiously around their new surroundings.

The kitchen was of generous size, meant to be shared among the twenty-one students occupying the dorm, yet every inch of its counter space seemed to be taken up by various mixing bowls and ingredients. Satou was manning the stove, cooking up what would soon be a hearty meal for his entire class, complete with dessert. Aoyama – having cleverly offered to help their more culinarily-inclined classmate with dinner to avoid the whole diaper fiasco earlier – glanced up from his own mixing bowl to offer Kansuke a flourish of a wave, pulling a delighted giggle from the infant. The sound was all it took to grab Satou's attention, and he looked over with a smile.

"Hey there, little guy. I'd give you a taste of what I'm making, but I think you gotta wait until you get some teeth in first," he joked warmly, continuing to gently stir a pot containing something that made Midoriya's mouth water from the smell alone. Meanwhile, Melissa had retrieved one of Kansuke's bottles from the fridge and approached the muscle-bound young hero.

"I don't suppose we could borrow a pot and one of the burners for a minute?" she asked, to which Satou could be seen visibly faltering. He glanced down at his fully occupied stovetop, looking back down at the blonde with a deeply apologetic look.

"S-sorry, that might take a little bit…"

Unfortunately, they didn't have that long to wait. Kansuke had spotted the familiar shape of his bottle and was currently reaching out towards it, making grabby hands and letting out a whine warning of yet more tears. Midoriya was familiar enough with the sound by now for it to raise a panic in him. He held the infant close, desperately rubbing at his back in effort to calm him, all the while shooting Melissa a desperate glance.

"Wh-what do we do now?" he questioned, to which Melissa could be seen furrowing her brow in thought.

"I dunno… He's pretty fussy about his milk, so I don't think he'll take it cold…" she mused aloud. Then, within moments, her face lit up in realization, and she turned out towards the common room once more.

"Hey, Shouto! Can you come here for a moment?"

When Todoroki entered the kitchen, he looked every bit as confused as Midoriya felt. This sense of confusion only deepened further for the both of them when Melissa passed the bottle over to the two-toned teen's left hand.

"Can you heat this up a little bit, please? It doesn't have to be much, just about to normal body temperature."

Once she made her request, Todoroki seemed to catch onto what she'd thought of. He stared down at the bottle in his hand, just the barest flash of flame engulfing it for a second before he held it out to her once more.

"Here, is that good enough?"

Melissa took the bottle back from him, holding it against her cheek to check the temperature. Once satisfied, a soft smile spread across her lips.

"It's perfect! Thanks!"

"Quel imbécile! Midoriya! Pay more attention when you're holding l'enfant!"

Midoriya jumped slightly in surprise at Aoyama's sudden interjection, having been momentarily distracted by Todoroki and Melissa. He glanced down at Kansuke in a cold panic, drawing in a sharp gasp when he saw the child. Somehow, though the young hero had held him securely against his chest the entire time, the infant had managed to grab a small plastic bowl from the island countertop and had dumped the entire contents over himself. He was now covered from head to toe in a layer of what looked like powdered sugar, his tiny fingers exploring the now empty bowl it once resided in.

"Oh no…" Melissa sighed out in exasperation, pulling a panicked yelp from Midoriya. He turned back towards her, his eyes wide and fearful that she may hate him for this.

"S-sorry! I only took my eyes off him for a second, I swear!"

In response to his feverish apology, the blonde merely smiled lightly and shook her head, stepping forward to hold out the bottle of warm milk to her baby brother. The bowl in Kansuke's hand may as well have ceased existing altogether the instant he spotted the bottle, dropping the former to grab hungrily at the latter. He wasted no time in shoving the nib of the bottle in his mouth when his sister finally handed it to him, falling into content silence as he drank.

"It's fine," Melissa assured gently. "He can be a handful sometimes. We'll just have to give him a bath once he's done eating."

* * *

A half hour later, Midoriya was in the boy's shared bathroom, Kansuke clinging to his shirt against his chest, babbling excitedly and bouncing in the teen's grasp as he watched the tub down below slowly start to fill up with water. With how fussy the infant was with most things, Izuku was grateful that he didn't seem to mind baths at all. He made sure to stop the water when it would be just high enough to cover the child's legs, just as he'd been told. He then laid him in his lap and started the surprisingly arduous task of peeling the powder-coated onesie off the squirming child.

"Jeez, don't you ever stop wiggling?" Izuku mumbled aloud to himself, though it was hard to stay annoyed when Kansuke was smiling happily up at him almost as though he was having the time of his life.

"Nope. He's been a little wiggle worm practically since Dad and Papa brought him home," came Melissa's amused commentary from somewhere behind him. He glanced over his shoulder in time to catch the blonde closing the bathroom door behind her, a fresh change of clothes for both himself and the infant tucked under one arm. Midoriya gave her a bashful smile, his cheeks heating up at the thought of her going into his room and seeing his walls covered ceiling to floor in posters of one of her own parents. God, she must think he was some obsessive freak… He supposed it was a fair accusation to make, if he was being perfectly honest with himself. Of course, if she found it odd at all she didn't show it.

Melissa set the clean clothes aside on the countertop before kneeling down in front of Izuku, lifting Kansuke out of his lap once he finally managed to wrestle the child's dirty clothes off. Once relieved of having to hold onto the infant, he rose up to his feet and took a few steps away, glancing shyly over his shoulder at Melissa as he took his own soiled shirt off. He knew he had nothing to be embarrassed about around her. After all, she'd seen him without a shirt before back on I-Island, and even if she hadn't she was suitably distracted with attending to her baby brother to pay him any mind. Still, he couldn't stop his cheeks from heating up at the thought, and he quickly changed into his new shirt.

"Hey, Izuku, could you lend me a hand for a sec?"

Midoriya jumped slightly in surprise when Melissa called out to him again. He peeked back at her, finding that she'd made quick work of undressing Kansuke the rest of the way and already had him in the bath.

"U-uh, s-sure! What do you need?" he asked nervously, still utterly at a loss for how he could be any help. That seemed to be the theme of the evening, of course. Melissa seemed to be a pro at everything to do with caring for a baby at this point, having been around to help and learn from her parents for over half a year now. Izuku, on the other hand, didn't have nearly as much experience. Sure, he'd held and played with Kansuke whenever he visited All Might's house, and he'd even asked the retired hero to show him a few things, but he was still more or less lost. Melissa seemed to pick up on that without trouble, giving him a reassuring smile as he returned to her side.

"Don't worry, it's nothing complicated. Can you just make sure he doesn't fall over while I wash him? He can't quite stay sitting up on his own yet."

Oh, well that did sound really simple. He was pretty sure he could manage that much. At least, that was his thought at first, before he knelt down and found himself pressed shoulder to shoulder with Melissa. He stiffened up, too afraid to risk moving an inch even as he held Kansuke steady in the bath.

Meanwhile, Melissa seemed not to notice their closeness at all, instead setting to work gingerly wiping the powdered sugar off the infant's face with a damp washcloth. Midoriya looked on, focusing on what she was doing if only to distract himself from the feeling of her shoulder pressed against his own.

"Man, you seem like a natural at this. Did you ever do babysitting before Kansuke was born?" he asked curiously, to which she let out a small chuckle.

"Nah, nothing like that. I mostly just learned from Dad and Papa. I knew some things in theory beforehand, of course, like how to hold him and how often he'd need to be fed. It's really not hard at all once you get used to it. I'm sure you'll be a pro here in a month or two if you keep at it like this."

Though he'd managed to recover in the past few moments, his cheeks reddened once more at that comment.

"Y-yeah, I guess I'd better learn while I can, huh?"

"Do you want to be a dad someday, Izuku?"

That last addition was enough to turn Midoriya's entire face beet red, and he sputtered for a moment in an effort to articulate a response. What was he so embarrassed about? It was a perfectly reasonable question to ask in this context, wasn't it? But to be asked something like that by such a pretty girl…

"Y-y-yeah, I g-guess I'd like that eventually. I never really gave it much thought before. I've always been so focused on becoming a hero that I never paid attention to anything else like that."

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

"Wh-what about you? Do you want kids eventually?"

Melissa paused to think about it for a moment, presumably having given the subject as little forethought as Midoriya himself had. She looked as though she was about to respond, but before she could, a splash of water hit her square in the face and soaking the front of her shirt, the culprit revealing himself with an amused giggle. Izuku instinctively looked over towards Melissa, his face heating up yet again when he spotted the effect the water had on the white fabric covering the other teen's chest.

"S-sorry!" he apologized frantically, quickly averting his eyes. Melissa merely laughed the incident off.

"It's fine. He likes to play in the bath, so I guess I should have given him a toy or something to keep him from splashing."

"I-I can let you borrow my shirt if you want…" he offered bashfully. Melissa gave him a perplexed look before finally looking down at herself, at which point her own cheeks flushed to match Izuku's own.

"O-oh! Y-yeah, that'd probably be a good idea..."

* * *

Finally, Kansuke was clean and quickly dressed, and soon the child was laying contently against Izuku's bare chest. He'd given Melissa his clean shirt to wear since her top had gotten soaked through, awkwardly taking his leave with her little brother in order to give her a bit of privacy to change. He made his way down the hall, absentmindedly heading towards his room, all the while Kansuke babbled softly against his shoulder. The young hero let out a weary laugh.

"You sure are talkative, huh?" he asked, earning him a soft cheek bap from a tiny hand. He let out another small chuckle before pushing his dorm's door open with his shoulder. As soon as they were inside, Kansuke suddenly let out a delighted squeal, reaching out with grabby hands at, well… _everything_. Izuku was heavily confused at first, at least until he realized what should have been obvious: every inch of his walls and every spare section of desktop was completely covered in memorabilia depicting the infant's own mother. He was surprised the kid was even able to recognize All Might in his muscle form, but he supposed there was something innately familiar about one's mother in the eyes of such a young child.

Unfortunately, Kansuke's initial delight seemed to fade into an upset desperation, a truly hurt whine escaping from him when the many visages of his parent didn't spring out of the posters to come hold him. Midoriya let out a panicked yelp, glancing around for something to distract the infant even as he rubbed at his back in an attempt to calm him. Fortunately, he rather quickly remembered something he kept tucked away, and soon enough he was sliding open the door to his closet, standing on the tips of his toes to reach into a box he kept stashed on the top shelf. Finally, his hand bumped against something soft and he grabbed hold of it.

What Izuku pulled out of the box was an old plush toy of his idol, all decked out in his Silver Age costume and bearing his trademark smile. It didn't hold any collectable value, having a few faded stains and re-stitched seams that any young child's favorite toy inevitably collected over the years. Kansuke didn't seem to mind that one bit, his eyes lighting up the instant the toy neared his face. His little hands grabbed fistfuls of threadbare cape, his face nuzzling lovingly against the old plush's chest as he held it close. Izuku couldn't help but smile warmly at how happy that simple old toy had made the child.

"Oh wow, I guess I shouldn't be surprised to see that you had that toy too, huh?"

Seemingly never able to catch a break, Midoriya let out a surprised yelp when he heard Melissa's voice behind him once more. He turned to her with his usual nervous smile, but his face turned beet red in an instant when he finally saw her. She'd changed out into the t-shirt he'd given her, but due to the few inches she had over him – in addition to her ample, err... chest – the bottom hem ended up hovering a good inch over where her pants sat on her waist, baring a bit of her midriff. He immediately averted his eyes to hide his embarrassment.

"S-sorry! I-I guess I should have realized my shirts wouldn't fit you right!" he apologized frantically. "I-I can go ask Yaoyorozu to make one that fits!"

Melissa glanced down at herself briefly, her cheeks growing slightly pink but her smile never fading.

"Nah, it's fine! I already put our clothes in the wash, so it's not like I'll be wearing it all night. Besides, it's really comfy!"

With that, she made her way over to his side, giving Kansuke's unruly rust-colored hair a soft rustle as he cooed lovingly to his new toy. Izuku tried to hide his blushing cheeks, but that was impossible to do with her standing so close, so he instead opted to change the subject.

"S-so you had this plush too? I-I didn't realize they sold All Might merch over in America."

"Yep! He was always super popular over there, even more so than most American heroes. I think the one I had came from Japan, though. Dad brought it as a gift during one of his visits. I kinda wish I still had it, but I ended up donating it once I grew out of keeping toys like that. I probably wouldn't have if I'd known who he really was to me back then..."

Ah, that's right. Izuku had almost forgotten that it had only been two years since Melissa was finally told that she was All Might's daughter. He still couldn't imagine what that must feel like; to never know that someone so close to you was really one of your parents. Granted, he himself probably only ever saw his own father as often as she'd seen the old hero, but at least he'd always known him as his dad.

"Oh wow, it's gotten pretty late already, huh?"

At that, Izuku was pulled from his thoughts, turning to glance back through his curtains to find that the sky had darkened to an inky black peppered with stars.

"O-oh, y-yeah, I guess that means you'd better head home soon, huh?" he stammered out, hoping she couldn't quite pick up on the disappointed note in his voice. As nervous as he was around her, he genuinely enjoyed her company, and helping to look after Kansuke wasn't so bad. Melissa hummed lightly in thought at that, staring at the curtain as though she could see her house from where she stood.

"Well, I mean it _is_ Dad's birthday. I was kinda thinking of giving him and Papa a night where they don't have to wake up every few hours to feed a baby, y'know? So I guess I can sleep here tonight if that's alright with you guys. I'm sure Mr. Aizawa wouldn't have a problem with us staying in the common room for a night."

"Y-you can sleep in my bed if you want!"

Though the surprise in Melissa's eyes at that offer was clear, it paled in comparison to Midoriya's shock at his own words. He could feel all the blood drain from his face in an instant, his body going rigid and cold on him. What the hell was he saying?! He didn't even have time to think about it before he just blurted it out like that. But he couldn't just walk it back now. He had to follow through and find a way to not sound like a total creeper while doing so.

"I-I-I mean… Y-you're a guest, and i-it wouldn't be right to make you sleep on the couch. B-besides, none of the empty dorm rooms have beds, and even if they did Aizawa keeps them locked up since no one's living in them, a-and I can just grab a spare futon or something, and…"

As Izuku continued his habitual rambling, Melissa couldn't help but let out a light chuckle.

"That's very sweet of you, Izuku, but I'd feel so guilty if I took your bed from you. I can take the futon if that's okay. I wouldn't want Kansuke to accidentally roll off the bed in the night and hurt himself."

"I-I don't mind him sleeping with me!" he retorted instinctively. "I-I mean, I'm shorter, s-so it'd be easier for me to sleep on the floor anyway."

Melissa seemed to search his eyes for a moment, but soon enough relented with an amused chuckle.

"Well, alright then. I suppose I can't turn down an offer like that. Besides, Kan seems to really like you. Look, he's practically asleep already!"

At that, Izuku glanced down at the infant held in his arms. Kansuke lay with his head resting against the teen's shoulder, his eyes half closed, chewing groggily at the tip of one of the plush's bunny-ear bangs. The young hero smiled softly at that, wondering silently to himself if this was what being a big brother felt like.

* * *

"Thank you so much for watching him for us last night, I really appreciate it!" Dave said to more or less the whole class as Asui passed Kansuke off into All Might's arms. The infant let out a delighted squeal once he was in his mother's grasp, clinging to his t-shirt with an iron grip.

"No problem! It was kinda fun!" Uraraka beamed in reply for the lot of them.

"He wasn't any trouble, was he?" the old hero added, rubbing lightly at his son's back even as he snuggled close against his chest. The gathered students seemed to stumble over their response this time, many of them stammering something out over one another.

"N-no, not at all! He was a perfect angel!"

"Th-the most well-behaved kid on the planet, for sure!"

"Do we get paid next time?"

"Shut up, Mineta! You didn't even do anything!"

All Might let out a small chuckle at that. Ah, it seemed his little Kansuke really put them to the test last night. He felt a little bad, but at the same time it would do the lot of them some good to learn to care for young children, even if some of them didn't go on to become parents themselves. Of course, it seemed one among them had been given the full overnight course.

Midoriya sat on the arm of one of the couches, leaning with his shoulder and head propped up against the back, his eyes slightly sunken and staring off into the middle distance, presumably unaware of what was going on around him. Thinking back on how often Kansuke tended to wake up at night and adding a few for him sleeping in a new place for the first time, All Might was certain the poor teen hadn't gotten more than an hour or two of solid sleep the night before. Even so, he doubted he'd ever hear a word of complaint from his young successor, even if he hadn't been too tired to do so. He'd have to think up some way to repay him for his extra effort.


End file.
